


Bio!Dad Bruce Month 2020

by ItsMeEvie01



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Gen, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Lila Rossi Lies, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Has Anxiety, b!dbwm2020, bio!dad bruce wayne, cannon does not exist here, i have changed everything, lila rossi is a minor inconvience, mari is a multi faceted person, she handles it, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 25,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26370325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsMeEvie01/pseuds/ItsMeEvie01
Summary: Marinette was 10 years old when she met her father.Up until that point, she had spent much of her time in Paris. Her Maman and Papa had taught her all she knew. In school, she had friends who always lept to spend time with her. She had no reason to think about anything outside of her time in Paris unless she was traveling with her Nona.Hey Y'all, I'm going post these as I go, but I plan to fill in later
Relationships: Chloé Bourgeois & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Bruce Wayne, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Dick Grayson, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 45
Kudos: 388
Collections: Maribat Bio!Dad Bruce Wayne Month





	1. Day 1: First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I know that we are on day 9, but I was waiting to see if I was going to pull this off before I cross-posted. I'll link my Tumblr at the end, which is where there is going to be a day by day update.

Marinette was 10 years old when she met her father.

Up until that point, she had spent much of her time in Paris. Her Maman and Papa had taught her all she knew. In school, she had friends who always lept to spend time with her. She had no reason to think about anything outside of her time in Paris, unless she was traveling with her Nona.

Everything changed when her family opens their second location not long after her 10th birthday. Because of their well-known patisserie, the local news came when they celebrated the opening. The picture made it into the paper, and onto the online site as well. After a small family celebration, life for Marinette returned to normal. Sure, her parents now split their time between locations. Many days, one of her parents, often her Maman would walk her to school and continue on to the other location for the day. It wasn’t that big of a change though. After all, Marinette would still go back to the same apartment after school everyday.

Imagine her surprise when she came home to see a tall man waiting the sitting room one quiet evening, when she stepped into the apartment. Her blue eyes widened, before she turned to call for her Maman, who had returned only shortly before her. Even more surprisingly, her Maman had already come up for the day. In fact, she was just now stepping out of the office. Marinette turned to look at the man again and saw him sizing her up. When he turned back to Maman, Marinette focused in on the conversation she had walked into.

“-ust wanted to check. I wasn’t sure, but Alfred mentioned that it was the right time and…” as the man hesitated, Marinette looked to her Maman. Sabine smiled at the girl before opening her arm in a welcoming gesture.

“Well Bruce, you came at a good time, although I didn’t mean for you to find out like this. We were hoping to wait until she was older, so that it would be easier to explain. It’s quiet right now though, so we should have some time to smooth over any confusion.” The man (Bruce, Marinette reminded herself. Apparently his name was Bruce.) nodded before hesitantly standing.

“I know that I just…dropped in here unannounced, but is there anything-“ Sabine cut home off with a wave of her hand.

“If you expect me to let you anywhere near my kitchen, you are rudely mistaken. Anyone who has spent time with you, Bruce, knows that Alfred has banned you from the room for a very good reason.” The Man (Bruce! Marinette scolded herself.) cringed at that before nodding in acceptance. After Marinette had made her way over and gave her mother a hug, she hurried to put her backpack down in her room. When she was on her way back down, she paused. She could hear the adults taking in the area below, and while she knew it was rude to ease drop, she had a feeling they wouldn’t speak plainly around her. As she crept down the ladder, putting the training her Maman had given her to use, she could make out the discussion happening below her.

“I know that for the past few years Tom has been her father, but I would like to at least offer my assistance. I know that you are more than capable of taking care your family, but the child is partially my responsibility.” Marinette paused at that. A child? What child were they talking about? As her mind caught up, she realized they could very easily be talking about her.

Marinette had always known that Tom Dupain wasn’t her biological father. Her Maman had met him when she was three years old, after all. It was on one of the rare nights her Maman had hired a babysitter and had gone to see a show with some friends. Just one evening to herself. At some point during the night, Marinette had never been told when, Sabine had literally run into Tom. From there, the duo had entered into a whirlwind romance that had ended when Tom had asked Marinette’s permission to marry her Maman, when he had asked her permission to stay in both of their lives.

The sound of voices growing louder broke Marinette out of her thoughts and she bounded down her ladder before the adults could get much closer. As she approached the sitting room, she could hear the sound of her Papa coming to join them after closing the bakery for the evening. As the two men greeted each other, Sabine came to call Marinette, before sending her daughter a dazzling smile as she saw her approach “Marinette, come. There is someone I want you to meet. He is a good friend of mine, from back when I was younger.” Marinette gave her mother a small smile and moved to join her and the other adults in the sitting room, where they were making small talk.

Dinner went off without a hitch, and when Marinette went to clear the table, the others went to help her. After, the adults moved to the sitting room, and Marinette sequestered herself away in her room, clutching her sketch pad to her chest. She knew that at some point, she would understand what was going on, and usually she would try to pry. However, she had learned over the years that by waiting she usually had to do much less work to get the information she was seeking.

Just as she had expected, half an hour later, her mother called her down to join them. For this, Marinette brought her sketch pad with her. If they were going to talk for a while longer, it would help her focus if she had something to fiddle with. As the adults continued their conversation, Marinette nibbled on the macaroon that her Maman had handed her. As she doodled, she started to tune into the conversation around her. They were talking about the man’s (Bruce’s!) family. From the bit she had collected, it sounded like he had quite a few boys. As he regaled them with stories of the boys’ antics, Marinette smiled. To her, it sounded like a safe haven, a small bubble of happiness.

When asked, Marinette was overjoyed at the idea of joining them for a few weeks. She wouldn’t find out until much later that the tall blue-eyed man was her other father. That news was met with tears and hugs and many, many questions.


	2. Day 2: Father Daughter Bonding

Marinette giggled slightly as she watched him gape at her. She knew that she was talented at gymnastics, but she didn’t expect her father's eldest to be this impressed. As Richard Grayson stood there speechless, a very familiar figure made their way into the room. She smiled at her father as she moved to join him. At thirteen, she had yet to truly meet the rest of her father’s brood. She had heard stories of Course, but because of many different factors most introductions had yet to be made.

Bruce Wayne smiled down at her as she skipped over. It was by complete chance that she had run into her brother (was he her brother? She wasn’t sure, but she thought he was. They hadn’t talked about it …) when she had come to stay for the weekend. Today, her father was taking her to explore Gotham, and she was especially looking forward to seeing him in a new environment.

As they sat at the end of the pier, the duo grew quiet. Throughout the day, Bruce had taken Marinette to explore. They had started with the area around Wayne Tower and had moved outward. (I don’t know Gotham AT ALL so I’m just going to improvise…ok? Cool) after they had spent the day exploring, Bruce had tried to insist that they go for a fancy dinner, only to be met with Marinette’s patented stubbornness. After a staring contest for the ages, Bruce backed down to Marinette’s delight.so now, the two were sitting at the end of the pier eating ice cream and enjoying each other’s company. As they looked out over the water, Marinette’s hands started to twitch. For a moment, Bruce studied her out of worry. The next moment however, he was blinking in shock as his daughter pulled out a sketchbook. As her pen flew across the page, Bruce realized exactly how talented the girl was. He studied her as she devolved into a flurry of creativity. When she paused, she glanced up and flushed as she realized exactly how deep into her work she had been. At Bruce’s curios gaze she smiled.

“what are you working on, little one?” the girl giggled.

“nothing much. I have a friend at home who…” from there she was gone, lost in a world of design that Bruce tried to follow. As much as he hated to admit it, the barely understood what his daughter (it’s still strange to him that this small ray of sunshine was related to him) was saying. When she paused for a breath, Bruce cut in,

“would you like to practice on me?” the question came out before he could stop himself. She hesitated, before her eyes positively glowed in excitement.

“would that…be ok?” her hesitance made an appearance and Bruce hurried to assure her that he did not in fact mind of she started to design clothing for him. One flurry of designing later, Bruce was watching the girl flit about on the pier. To his amazement, the normally slightly clumsy girl was now moving with impeccable balance and precision. As the light started to fade, Bruce made the executive decision to start making their way back to the manor. As they collected their belongings, Marinette snapped one last picture of the view that they had been enjoying that evening.

Minutes before they would have reached Wayne Enterprises (Located in the tower), screams were heard in the air. The girl’s eyes flashed wide, while her father pulled her closer to him. As he gently tugged her after him, she started to jog slightly to keep up with the man. While Marinette may not be the shortest person in the world, her father was quite a tall man. When he strode anywhere, it made it a little ~~lot~~ hard to keep up. The duo ducked into the tower and hurried towards the garage that would lead them to the car. As Marinette focused on getting to a place, she deemed safe, Bruce studied the people around him. Just before they reached the concreate structure, he heard the telltale sounds of the bats arriving. He smiled down at his daughter in relief and guided her to the car, eager to be away from the fighting.

When they were safely out of the area where the attack was taking place, both start3ed to laugh.

“well”, Marinette commented wryly, “that’s one way to end a father daughter bonding day.” Bruce smiled in agreement before shaking his head.

“you are half right- “she cut him off with a look that he brushed aside before continuing, “but I think we have one more stop to make.” As he finished speaking, he brought the car to a stop. Marinette looked out the window and squealed.

“is this??”

“your favorite fabric store that you had mentioned earlier? Yes. I thought you might enjoy finding some fabric the take inspiration from.” Bruce smiled as he felt her hands wrap around him in a hug.

“Father? Thank you. Really.” He smiled at her voice.

“Of course, Marinette. Anything for you.” The girl spun around and grabbed her father’s hand, dragging him in the store. She started in the back and worked her way to the front, muttering to herself as she went. He followed along, holding things as she picked them up. When his arms were full, the girl looked at him and giggled to herself.

“oops. Looks like I got a little bit excited.” Bruce smiled at her and shook his head.

“I don’t have the foggiest idea what you mean.” They laughed together and turned towards the cutting table. Half an hour later, the two were walking out of the store, bags in hand. Marinette was laughing at Bruce as he tried to convince her that, _yes Marinette, it is perfectly ok for your rich father to take you out to eat!_ The girl shook her head and smiled.

“Maybe next time Father, as it stands, if we want to get back to the manor at a reasonable hour, we need to leave. I don’t know about you, but I would like to sleep for a little bit tonight!” As Bruce caved and agreed to head back at a really not reasonable time, a zipping was heard overhead. The two looked up in time to see Nightwing fly by. Moments later, Red Hood sped by on his motorcycle. Bruce shook his head and turned to Marinette (his only child that wasn’t a vigilante. That was a scary thought.)

“maybe your right. Its time to head home.”


	3. Day 3: Siblings

While Marinette and Bruce had been spending the last few years getting to know each other, he had barely said anything about her to his boys. Many times, he would wait until everyone was busy and slip off to Paris. Three months ago, when he had taken Marinette around Gotham, had been the first time she had come to his home. Of course, she had met Dick, but only briefly. Now, as Thanksgiving approached, Bruce wondered if it would be too much to ask her to join him. To ask her if she wanted to meet her brothers. After hesitating one last time, he hit the dial button on his phone and held his breath. This would go either really well, or really, really poorly. When he had first gone to discuss with Tom and Sabine, he had told them stories of his boys. Now, he wondered if he had made the right choice to hold off on introducing them.

“Hello? Bruce? Is everything alright?” Sabine’s worried voice at the other end of the line brought him out of his thoughts.

“Sabine, yes, everything is fine. I was calling because I had a question for you.” At the woman’s affirming hum, he continued. “would Marinette be interested in joining me and my family in celebrating Thanksgiving this year? I know that you don’t, but I thought it might be the perfect time to introduce her to the others.” There was a pause on the other end of the line, and he waited. Bruce started to tap his fingers anxiously but refused to open his mouth. If he did…who knows what he would say. The sound of Tom and Sabine talking in French filtered down the line and Bruce worked to keep his mind away from their conversation. Although he wanted his daughter to join them, he refused to eavesdrop on the discussion. At the sound of Sabine clearing her throat, Bruce turned his mind back to the situation at hand.

“Bruce, we’ve talked it over and although we have no problems with Marinette joining you, we would like to leave the final decision up to her.” The man agreed and as both parties hung up the phone, he reminded himself to be positive about the whole thing.

When her parents told her what her Father had proposed, Marinette had been hesitant. Just a few weeks ago, she had received the Ladybug miraculous. The girl was a hesitant hero, but that didn’t stop her from protecting the people who had set their faith in her. After extensively talking the situation over with Tikki, her Kawmii, the teen announced to her parents that she would like to go. That evening, Tikki had slipped out after the girl was asleep and had visited the Guardian. When she had returned, there were a pair of glasses accompanying the small being.

Two months later, the small girl has pulling a suitcase behind her as she hurried through the airport. Although she had arrived in plenty of time, she wanted to be at her gate with time to spare. International travel was not the time to be late. As she sat there, her sketchbook in hand she glanced about. Fall was one of her favorite seasons. To those who didn’t know her, it always came as a surprise, but the accessories were always so diverse, and the colors always made her look fantastic. Just because pink was her favorite color didn’t mean she didn’t have other things in her closet.

A call for her gate pulled Marinette out of her thoughts and she gathered her things and clung to her sketchbook as she got in line to board. Since her father had paid for the ticket, she had not had the chance to dissuade her father from buying her a first-class ticket. At least, she consoled herself, she got to be comfortable on her 8-hour fight.

When she walked out of the Gotham airport, Marinette looked for the man her father had introduced as his butler (it was times like that when she remembered that her father was rich). When she saw him, she hurried over,

“Hello, Alfred!” the older man smiled down at her a gently took her suitcase from her and guided her out to the car that was waiting for them. As she climbed in, Marinette noticed a sleepy teen a who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than herself sitting in the back seat. Alfred gestured for her to settle in as he moved around to the trunk to load her luggage.

“Master Timothy!” When Alfred called the boy to attention, Marinette used the distraction to check on Tikki the small being gave her a thumbs (flipper??) up and the girl leaned tiredly back against her seat, happy to be out of Paris. Now that he was done with his discussion with Alfred, the boy (Timothy?) turned to her with a smile.

“Marinette, right?” at her nod his smile grew, “it’s nice to finally meet you! The last time you were here this summer I was traveling and wasn’t able to meet you.” As the car made its way towards the manor, Tim started to pull her into conversation. First, on her interests and hobbies, then they started to devolve into things they had found on the internet. By the time they made it to the manor, she was comfortable with Tim (wait-he was her brother. A brother!) and he had started to become more aware of their surroundings as well.

While Alfred brought her things up to the room she used when visiting her father, Tim guided her into a den that was hidden away in the maze-like manor. There, Marinette was met with her oldest brother, Dick Grayson, as well as a guy with a shock of white hair. As she made her way fully into the room, she noticed a girl with blonde hair sitting happily inside as well. The group got up as they entered, Dick bounding over to wrap her in a hug while the other two gathered nearby to greet her afterwards. When her brother (!) released her form his hug, the other guy strode forward, a tense smile on his face.

“Marinette?” she nodded, suddenly very nervous. “Nice to meet you, I’m Jason.” He flashed her a more genuine smile before stepping back. The blond had just hurried up to her when the telltale sound pf her father’s steps could be heard outside the door. As soon as he had cleared the doorway, she flew at him. the aww that she was sure came from Dick just made her smile victoriously.

The next day, the family of five (plus the blonde who she learned was named Stephanie) set about decorating the manor under the direction of Alfred. Dick cracked Jokes and Jason grumbled under his breath as he was handed a garland of leaves and told to help Marinette as she used her artistic eye to her advantage.

As they chattered, she turned to her father “why are we decorating for fall still, if it’s almost winter?” her question caught the attention of the others and as Bruce smiled at her, Dick jumped at the chance to explain the holiday to her.

As he talked, he started to light up in excitement. Marinette smiled at the way he emoted and brought what he was saying to life.

The next day, Thursday dawned bright and clear. The air had a nip to it and as Marinette settles outside to enjoy the early morning sunshine, she took a deep breath and sighed in happiness. Three years ago, she had found out who her father was. Now, she was here with the rest of his family (!) And was going to celebrate her first holiday with them.

To her, it made it all a little more real.

When Dick came out to get her, he brought news. Over the next few hours, the rest of the family oils arrive. He smiled at the way she lit up and cautioned her that they could be a bit much at times. As they made their way back inside the manor, he made sure she knew that if she ever got overwhelmed, he would help make sure that she was comfortable in the chaos that was to come.


	4. Day 4: Habits

The sun started to peak its way through the windows as Dick Grayson made his way into the kitchen at the manor. It wasn’t often that he was able to come back for long stretches of time, but when he was, he enjoyed beating his family down. As he walked in, he blinked in shock. There sitting at the counter, was Marinette. His younger sister (who he was still mad at Bruce for hiding from him) was siting there happily chatting with Alfred as she sipped on a mug of coffee. She was already dressed and seemed too chipper for 5:30 in the morning. At the sound of him slinging himself into a chair, Marinette threw him a smile that made Dick squint in return. He huffed in response and latched onto the mug that was passed his way. There was a reason he made sure to be up before the others, after all.

Tim was settled with his laptop when Marinette maneuvered into the sitting room. In one arm, she had her sketchbook, a bag of pencils, and a cup of water. In the other arm, she had her computer, phone, and a tray that was holding four cups of coffee. When she set one down in front of Tim, he hummed in appreciation. She sent a smirk his way and added “a gift to the lord of the room” his responding

“Hey! Get back here Little Bit!” was met with laughter. She threw him a smile and arranged herself onto the opposing couch. He smiled at her and returned to his homework. This was his quiet time, and she knew that. Recently she had been making a point to spend time working in the same space with him when they both were busy. Both times she had come to visit since Thanksgiving, he had found himself working with the girl. Somehow, she always knew when he needed a break, and the thirteen-year-old girl made sure to pull his attention away for an appropriately short amount of time. He had often found over the last few weeks that he was sleeping better because of it too. Now, as he reached over to grab the coffee, she had brought him, he smiled. Maybe he could convince her to make a habit of this.

Every week his sister had been at the manor over the course of her winter break, Dick had been beaten to the kitchen. As he stumbled through the kitchen once again at an ungodly hour of the morning, he realized that he could hear Alfred and his sister talking quietly in the smaller dining room. As he made his way into the room, he could make out the tail end of their conversation, “-do know that they would be more than willing to let you talk about this, Miss Marinette. You do not have to carry this burden on your own.” The sound of a disbelieving snort followed.

“I know you keep saying that, Alfred, but I just…they all have such busy lives and there’s so much going on in Gotham and- “

“and you are still part of the family, Miss Marinette. Master Bruce is starting to worry about you, and Master Dick is starting to notice that you are avoiding the topic. Do not shut them out, when they can help you. This situation may need an outside touch.” When Alfred finished speaking, Dick decided that he had overheard more than he should have.

“Alfred? Are you in here?” When he called out for the older man, Dick watched with a cringe as little Marinette jumped at his voice. “Hey Net! I’m not sure if I should be jealous that5 you keep beating me down in the mornings!” as he teased her, he watched her eyes light up.

“Well, Dick, you try being the child of two bakers- “as the girl started her comeback, a groggy voice cut through the air.

“what the hell are you all doing up?” the three turned to see Tim standing in the recently vacated doorway, clutching his water bottle and looking around with bloodshot eyes. “it’s like, 2 am.” At Tim’s declaration, Marinette giggled.

“Tim? Its almost 6?” the look of shock that flashed over the boy’s face made Dick frown. Tim’s all-nighters were becoming more and more frequent. The way the teen stumbled out of exhaustion was worrying.

“Hey Timmy? Let’s get you to bed.”

In the week prior to Christmas, Bruce made it a point to try and come home earlier so that he could spend more time with both Marinette and Tim, who were both supposed to be enjoying their winter breaks. He knew, of course, that Tim had wheedled his way into doing extra course work over the holiday to cut down on time spent in school. That didn’t mean that he expected the boy to focus solely on the work. Imagine his surprise when he had come home to both of his teens settled in the sitting room working. Marinette was sketching furiously, while Tim was typing away on his laptop with a ferocity that would scare many of the villains that populated Gotham. Bruce blinked in shock before turning to find Alfred standing off to the side smiling.

“They have adjusted their habits so that they can bond even though this season is busy for the both of them, Master Bruce.” He turned back to his children and smiled at the two of them as they continued working, unaware of anything outside of the sitting room.

The next morning, when Dick came down, expecting to see his sister and Alfred, he was instead met with the sight of macaroons cooling on the counters. On the island, there were croissants, and on the stove, there were pans full of freshly baked sugar cookies. He blinked in concern and turned around the room searching. On the other side of the kitchen was his sister, standing over the sink, hands unmoving, as she gazed out at the slowly rising sun. Her eyes were unfocused, and as Dick made his way over, his eyes focused on the slight tremor that was running through her hands. “Net?” When he received no answer, he moved closer, “Marinette? Hey- “the girl moved, and Dick’s hand shot out and caught the bowl that she had been holding and set it down. Gently, he guided his sister out of the kitchen and led her into the sitting room, where they passed Alfred as he made his way down for the morning.

Once Dick had Marinette settled, he sat next to her and held out one of his hands, leaving the offer for comfort open as the girl blinked and started to look around in confusion.

One moment, Marinette had been starting on the dishes, the next, she was sitting on the love seat in the siting room next to her brother. The sharp poke in her side that had brought her out of her mind was one that she could only attribute to Tikki. As she sat there, adjusting to the change in location, Marinette took a deep breath to ground herself. She wasn’t expecting her brother to speak.

“Do you want to talk about it, Net?” The girl studied the Man sitting next to her for a moment. When she decided that she couldn’t find any hint of insincerity, Marinette nodded hesitantly and trained her eyes on her hands. They were twisting in her lap, working as a distraction and an outlet for the nervous energy that had been building up since August.

“I- “Dick waited patiently for the girl to collect her thoughts, “I love Paris, I really do. I mean- it’s the place I grew up! But. Well, recently.” She hesitated again. She looked up at him, with tears in her eyes. “everything is wrong!” The phrase tore out of her, and she clamped her mouth shut afterwards as her mind flew through damage control ideas. “I mean. Well. Everything is do tense. Too perfect. No one can feel anything!” When had she started crying? Marinette could have sworn that she had a better handle on her emotions after spending the last five months held emotionally hostage. As she started to devolve into true sobs, Dick pulled the girl into a hug, and she clung to him. For the first time in almost five months the girl was able to truly process what was going on in her home city.

When Alfred came to check on them 20 minutes later, he found the duo sitting curled on the couch. In the other doorway stood a shocked Bruce. Alfred smiled at the look of shock on the fathers face before the man strode over to join his oldest and his youngest. As Alfred turned to go back into the kitchen and finish making sense of all of Marinette’s baking, the man shook his head. Who knew that the habits that Marinette influenced would be the ones that would bring the Paris situation to light?


	5. Day 5: Overprotection

After Marinette had cried herself out, Bruce guided the duo back into the kitchen. Alfred sent them all a smile before he vacated the room. On the table were four cups of hot chocolate and some of the croissants that Marinette had made during her panic that morning. When they had all settled, Bruce turned to his daughter. “Marinette, are you willing to talk about it?” The girl hunched slightly, before she looked over at him with red eyes.

“I, I can try.” She looked off slightly, seemingly focusing on the cabinets. “At the beginning of August, there was a storm in Pairs. I think it made it on the news. Internationally, I mean. But… it wasn’t a storm. It was…it was this- “Here, Marinette’s voice broke and she paused to collect herself. “it was my friend. She had been turned into, into, into a- “Dick pulled her into a hug, and let the girl collect herself.

“Net, if you need to stop, we won’t push you.” His reassurance was received with a nod.

“No, I, I can do this.” She took a deep breath. “My friend was turned into a villain because she was upset about loosing a competition. After that, we learned very quickly that someone was turning people into, into Akumas- “both Bruce and Dick jumped at the venom in her voice. “My class has almost all been turned at one point or another. In Paris, we all have to be happy. We aren’t allowed to be upset, we aren’t allowed to have a bad day, we aren’t allowed to feel!” Bruce stared at her; his face carefully blank as he processed the information. A noise in the doorway drew their attention and the trio turned to see Tim standing there. He looked shocked and the tremor in this hand as he came to join them made it clear that he had heard what Marinette had said.

“Little Bit, hey, I’ve got you” as he had moved to sit down, Marinette had thrown herself at him. As the girl hugged her brother, the others present in the room glanced at each other. Their worry was clear, and if they had their way, the girl would be staying in Gotham until this threat was neutralized.

“Who is fighting these… Akumas?” Dick’s question snapped Marinette’s attention in his direction, and she paused before responding,

“Ladybug and Chat Noir have been fighting them for the last five months. And its not the Akumas that are the worry, it’s their master Hawkmoth.”

To say that Bruce was pissed would be an understatement. Why was it that he hadn’t heard about this? Even more worrying, why hadn’t the League heard about this villain who basically boiled down to an emotional terrorist. With shaking hands, he called Sabine, intent on getting answers.

He wasn’t sure what he thought he was going to hear, but shock that Marinette wasn’t handling the situation like Sabine thought she should be not what he was expecting. When he had proposed keeping Marinette with him, Sabine had given a firm no, claiming that their daughter had to get her emotions under control. She hadn’t had any trouble before, why should this be any different.

When Bruce had gone to talk to Marinette about his idea, she had given him a firm “no” as well. As much as she loved her father, she claimed that she couldn’t abandon her friends and family back in Paris.

That evening after dinner when he went to talk to Dick about what he had dug up while Bruce had been on the phone, he was shocked at the security that Duck had to enlist Tim to break for them to even have references in the first place. Once they had gotten inside however, they entered a world much different than the one that was presented to them before. The look they got inside of Paris reminded Bruce more of Gotham than he would like to admit.

After being told that he could not keep his youngest in Gotham (Her argument boiled down to the fact that neither city was truly that safe…) Bruce tried to hire a bodyguard. When that didn’t work, he started to drop suggestions for forms of self-defense. Eventually, Marinette had to look him dead in the eye and threaten to leave on the first flight out of the city of he didn’t _drop it_.

Over the next week, Tim and Marinette started to spar under Dick’s watchful eye to pacify Bruce, but the man didn’t truly feel any better, until his daughter huffed and offered to put a tracker in her phone that he could use to keep an eye on her. She also pointed him to two blogs that she said were pretty reliable. One, **The LadyBlog** was run by a girl who, in Bruce’s mind, took too many risks. The other one, **The Lady’s Spots** , was run by the girl that Marinette had said was turned because of losing a competition.

After that, the topic fell on the backburner. They did, after all have Christmas to celebrate. The day was spent with the entire family converging on the house. Jason and Steph made appearances, and Barbra Gordan showed up as well. The day after, when the Kents had stopped over for a visit, Bruce had pulled Clark off to the side, and brought him up to speed on what he knew of the situation. Partway through the festivities, as he was working to keep Clark for flying straight to the French city, Marinette got a notification on her phone that sent her tearing out of the room. When she had left the room, Tim and Bruce also had their phones go off. When they went to check, they found Akuma alerts and directions for civilians filling up both blogs. An hour and a half later when Marinette came back down, looking more than slightly angry, the others were quietly talking about the fight they had witnessed. When Clark had gone to ask her questions, the girl deflected, citing the fact that it was a holiday (even though it was technically the day after) and therefore they would not discuss depressing topics.

After Marinette returned to Paris, it was not uncommon for Bruce to have at least one of the blogs up in the background, grasping at straws, trying to find a way to help his little girl.


	6. Day 6: Meeting the JL

Marinette was furious. When she had left to fight the Akuma earlier in the evening, she had expected a normal fight. One captured butterfly and a fist bump later, she was turning, ready to go home and finish her schoolwork for the evening. That was when she had seen the cape. Parisian heroes didn’t wear _capes_. That specific accessory was left for idiots like the Justice League. The one-time Chat Noir had mentioned the horrific items, Ladybug had nearly attacked him. Paris’ Heroes didn’t do capes. EVER.

That was why it was so suspicious that there was a flash of a cape on the rooftop across from her school.

Ladybug scowled but made her way over, landing a little harder than necessary, as she took in who was standing there. The “S”, the blue, the fucking _cape_. Ladybug was known as a nice hero, a gently hero, a just hero, but she couldn’t help the snarl that ripped its way from her throat as she looked at _The Blue Boy scout_. Oh, she had heard of him. His great deeds, how he cared for his city, _His Powers_. Paris’ Heroes didn’t do capes, they always led to bad situations. Bad situations, like an akumatized Superman. _Shit_.

When the man was fully facing her, Ladybug groaned. This situation just became 100 times worse, because she _knew_ Superman. Flipping open her yoyo, Ladybug pulled up her partner’s contact. “Bug? Everything ok?” the concern in the Cat’s voice made her smile, but her eyes stayed focused on the hero in front of her. The hero wearing a _cape_.

“Chat, there is a situation. Come to my location, immediately.”

“On it, Ladybug!” as soon as she hung up, the spotted hero fixed her death glare on the rooftop’s other occupant. The Kryptonian shrunk under her glare. A very familiar glare, that he had seen more times than he would like to admit.

“Get out.” The venom in her voice made the Super flinch.

“I- “

“I said get. The. Fuck. OUT!” He started at her, shocked. As the two glared at each other, two telltale thumps told of others on the rooftop. One was unmistakably Chat. The teen hero had spent the last year finding the best ways to silence his movements. Ladybugs was well aware what his landings sounded like, when he decided to announce his presence. The other landing though…her eyes narrowed at the vigilante behind Superman. Great. The Bat was here.

When Bruce had heard that Clark was going to Paris to investigate, he knew there was going to be trouble. For the past six months, he had been prodding information out of his daughter, and she had made it very clear that there was to be zero outside interference. When he had raised his worries about her statement, she had simply laughed.

“Dad, Ladybug tried to contact the Justice League. She tried ten times. Every time, she was told that she was wrong. That there wasn’t a problem in Paris. Civilians reached out for help, submitting video evidence. They were told that it wasn’t funny to waste the Oh So Precious resources. Paris has been cut off, and Ladybug doesn’t want anyone swooping in now. She has set up a support network, and people are adapting in the meantime.” That conversation was the first time Bruce had heard Marinette truly angry. By the time she had finished talking, her eyes had been sparkling dangerously and the hard set of her jaw had told him just how _livid_ she was. When Clark had insisted on investigating, Bruce had huffed and gone to prepare to rescue his friend. There was no way that this was going to go well.

What he encountered when he finally found his friend was…interesting. The teen heroes were standing there glaring at Superman. The girl had her hands on her hips and a glare worthy of a Bat on her face. The boy behind her had his arms crossed and his tail was whipping back and forth dangerously. The way the young heroes were on edge reminded Batman why exactly Paris was currently such a dangerous city to be in. “Superman, perhaps we should take this somewhere more…neutral?” the spotted hero visibly jumped at the sound of his voice. The cat shot her a concerned glance before turning towards them.

“I think I know a place.”

When the four heroes landed in the field, Ladybug huffed and leveled her glare on them. “I am going to say this once, Paris is under our protection. If the Justice League enters the City of Paris, they forfeit their lives.” The viciousness in her voice clear took Superman by surprise, but Batman had expected it. From listening to his daughter, he knew that the hero would not hesitate to protect her city. If that meant that she had to scare away every member of the League, she would. At the look on Superman’s face, Batman paused. The other Hero looked too calm for someone who had just been told off. No, Oh No. Batman knew what that meant. Superman had called the rest of the League. They were off the deep end now. A moment later when Wonder Woman joined them Ladybug narrowed her eyes. “What is this?” the way she practically hissed her words made the slowly arriving League pause, nervous. “Did you summon the rest, just because I told you to get lost?” the way her voice got dangerously quiet reminded Batman a little too much of both Sabine and Marinette for his comfort. When Superman shifted uncomfortably, Ladybug threw her hands in the air in frustration. “Since I know you have ignored my requests for help, how the hell did you find out about this?” at her question the entire League froze.

“You. You asked for help? When?” The shock from Wonder Woman seemed to jolt the rest back into action.

“Yes! I asked for help at the beginning! When we were fighting our friends and family because they had a bad day! When Chat Noir and I were Handed Magical Jewels and Told to Figure It Out!” The sharpness in her voice, the pointed barbs flying from her mouth, the way her partner moved to calm her without hesitation…Suddenly Batman knew why the duo were so comfortable with this field. He knew why Ladybug was so angry too. And suddenly, he wished he had taken some time to introduce his daughter to the family secrets.

Later, once Wonder Woman had started to dig into the locked files in the League and they had uncovered the ten videos from the past few months, the group sat down to talk. When many of the older heroes offered to come and help, the Cat and Bug exchanged glances. “We…think it would be better to keep people who can be…taken advantage of outside of the city.” When the Cat spoke up many of the others looked offended. “as it is, Ladybug and I are confidant in our abilities to protect each other and call on allies as needed. We don’t want to disrupt the dynamics that have formed or go up against one of you if you let your emotions get out of control. LB and I…we have coping methods. Many of you though? You would get akumatized in an instant.” The duo continued to hold firm until Batman interrupted the newest round of arguing.

“We need to respect the fact that Paris is their city. For now, let us keep communication lines open. If they need us, we can be there, but we will not take over in a fight we do not understand.” After the Bat’s declaration, the Leaguers started to collect themselves. As they were leaving, Ladybug paused.

“Batman? Could I borrow you for one more second?” the Man nodded in response. When they had walked a slight distance away, and he was blocking her from the rest’s view, the younger hero took a deep breath. “Tikki? Spots off.” There was a small flash, and suddenly it wasn’t the young hero that Batman had been working with for the past few hours, it was-

“Marinette.” The girl nodded, twisting her hands nervously. A small red creature floated up to settle on his daughter’s shoulder, sending her a sour look.

“I- thank you. Dad, I- “Batman froze.

“how- “

“it was your voice. I just…I’ve gotten really good at recognizing people. Just like I knew immediately that it was your friend Mr. Kent. That he was Superman.” Batman glanced over his shoulder, checking to make sure the others had left. In the time they had been talking the Cat had vanished as well. When he was sure there was no one else around, he slowly peeled off his mask.

“Marinette.” His daughter smiled up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. The next moment he was gently holding her in a hug as she relaxed, the tension that she had been holding the entire meeting draining out.

“Please don’t tell my brothers about this. I don’t need them mother henning any more than they already are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanted to apologize because...well...  
> no  
> its not an apology. Marinette and I hate capes. that's all


	7. Day 7: Fashion Show

Marinette laughed as she linked arms with Alix and hurried out of school. Today, the girls had arranged to go out for the evening, and they were insistent that nothing would ruin their fun, even an akuma. As the shorter girls hurried away, Alya watched from where she stood on the steps. When she had transferred, she had hoped that the girl she had made a connection with would become her best friend. Now, as they neared the end of April, she had resigned herself to the fact that she wasn’t part of the other’s inner circle.

Although she was friendly with the entire class, Marinette had quickly proven to be hard to get close to. She had her life out of school, and she had her life in school. They didn’t mix.

Unknown to the rest of the school, Marinette’s birthday was coming up. Every year, she would do something small with Tom and Sabine. Sometimes she would invite a friend over. Mostly, she kept her birthday quiet. The teen knew that if she offered, her class would love to celebrate with her, but she didn’t see it as a big deal. three years earlier, Bruce had asked her if she wanted to do anything for her birthday. When she had mentioned that she didn’t really celebrate it that much, he had nodded in acceptance. Each year, he flew into Paris and took her out for a day of shopping, an amusement park, or a fancy dinner. This year, he had invited her to join him in Gotham so that her brothers could come along. Since the event earlier in the month, Bruce had been more at ease when talking about many of the things going on in his home city. Now that he knew that Marinette was already entrenched in the hero life that he had been working so hard to keep her out of, he had opened up about the times that the family had vanished during her visits.

When Marinette had eagerly agreed to join him in Gotham, Bruce had asked his daughter of she had any preferences on what they did. The girl, as expected, shook her head and told him to surprise her. As long as they were together, it didn’t really matter. Imagine her surprise, when she got home from her late-night movie with Alix, to find her parents waiting for her, both buzzing in excitement.

“Mariette! Oh good, we were afraid that you would be out later. Bruce got in contact with us, he is going to fly you our for the entire weekend, instead of just one day!” While the bakers continued to gush about how wonderful it was for Bruce to fly Marinette out for her birthday, the girl paused. Usually, as much as she enjoyed her brothers, they were very upfront with her. When she had asked if they knew what Bruce was planning, they had been cagey. Now, he was flying her out on a Thursday, and bringing her back on a Tuesday? That was a long time considering she still had school.

Later that week as she packed her carry on, the noirette crinkled her nose in concentration. She had been doing the best she could to figure out what it could be, but she still had found nothing on their plans for the next few days. Once she had finished, she plopped the bag next to her suitcase. Whatever her family had planned, she could only hope that she was ready for it.

The next day at school, Marinette rolled her eyes as Alya started to chatter at her. The girl was nice, yes, but Marinette had seen what had happened when she had started to zero in on information. Alya was not likely to let anything go, which sadly, meant that for the sake of her secret identity, Marinette had t keep her distance. When Nino plopped into his seat in front of her, he turned to flash Marinette a grin. “you ready for your trip, dudette?” Marinette smiled in return,

“So ready! I finished packing last night, so Maman is going to pick me up at noon. That makes sure I have a little under four hours to get on my plane.” Nino nodded in understanding.

“International travel is nothing to mess with. You may be joined by Chloe; she is flying out to visit her mother. Where are you flying into?”

“New York! They said that they would meet me there, and that we would head back after whatever surprise they’ve been planning.” Nino snickered at his friend’s frustration. It was well known within their friend group that the girl liked to know what was going on so that she could plan accordingly. The last time they had tried to surprise her, Kim had ended up with a broken arm, and Alix had gotten enough blackmail to last a lifetime. It was also pretty common for the girl to refer to her family in vague terms. As much as she trusted her friends, her class was more than willing to dig into her personal life in an attempt to force friendship. Because of this, Marinette tried to keep her personal life a vague as possible. In situations like this, she was grateful that Nino understood what she meant, because Alya had caught onto their conversation and started to ask as many questions as she could. Thankfully, Chloe must have gotten the notice from Nino to rescue her, because the blonde swaggered into the room and made a beeline for the duo’s desk.

“So, Mari trash, what this I hear about you leaving the country?” while Alya bristled at the name that the heiress had thrown out, Marinette sent her friend a secret smile. Chloe sent her a nod before returning to riling up Alya until Madame Bustier made her way in, effectively shutting down all conversations.

The girls giggled as they hurried through the airport. When they had realized that they were on the same flight, they had agreed to meet up at the airport and wait out the extra time together. As the duo sat there, they chatted and traded pictures, and discussed fashion. When Chloe mentioned that her mother was taking her to meet a ‘rich client who she wont name. Ridiculous!’ Marinette paused. “Chloe, that’s not the only reason that your flying out, right?” the blond gave an undignified snot.

“Honestly Mari, I wish! She’s dragging me to her ‘secret fashion show for the ages’ as she calls it.” Soon the girls were giggling and discussing the latest trends. When the flight attendants called for first class, the two girls gather their bags and made their way over to the line that was forming. When they had gotten settled (conveniently next to each other, which spoke of manipulation to Marinette, although she refrained from mentioning it to the diva next to her), they each pulled out a book and got ready for their flight. Thankfully, they both made the transatlantic flights enough to know what to expect.

That evening, when they arrived, the girls hurried to get through security and collect their bags. As they exited the baggage claim, both girls started to scan for their rides. On one side of the airport, was Audrey Bourgeois’ personal assistant. Next to her stood the stately figure of Alfred Pennyworth. While Marinette threw herself at Alfred in a hug, Chloe nodded to the frazzled looking brunette who had greeted them. The girls hugged and parted ways, promising to meet up on Monday if they didn’t see each other before hand.

While Chloe settled in her mother’s penthouse, Marinette was buried in a pile of hugs from her brothers. When they had finally given her room to breathe, her father introduced her to a girl who had been standing nearby. Cassandra (her sister!!) smiled at her and waved shyly. Marinette had sent her a smile worthy of the sun and given the girl a hug in return.

The next morning, the two girls were the first to join Alfred in the kitchen. Was Marinette caught Alfred up on the last few months, she started to help him with breakfast. Cassandra (Cass, Marinette scolded herself) settled on a stool to watch her move through the kitchen with a fluidity that spoke of many, many hours of experience. Once Bruce and they boys had joined them, the group settled at the dining table.

When the food had been cleared up, Marinette turned to her father, “you know, you made it really hard to pack for this trip, when I had no idea what we are going to do!” Bruce smiled at her ire and easily brushed aside her worries.

“it’s a good thing that we’re going shopping then, isn’t it, Marinette?” the way the girls face lit up made Tim snort.

“B, you really shouldn’t have said that, now she’s not going to sit still for the rest of the day.” The teen made a face at the look sent his way and Marinette huffed at her older brother.

“At least I know how to dress myself nicely without having someone pick my clothes out for me!” Dick sniggered at her response before wincing as she directed her fury his way. “don’t think I’m ignoring you, Richard.” The man froze, because his sister had used his first name only once and that occasion was not to be brought up unless the world was ending. “your fashion choices are even worse than Dad’s!” As the family started to argue about the validity of her statements, Marinette slipped away, beckoning for Cassandra (Cass!) to follow her.

Once they were in Marinette’s temporary room, the girl handed her sister (!!) a small wrapped package. “Tim gave me a heads up that there was a new addition to the family, and I wanted to make something for you.” The other girl studied her for a moment before hesitantly ripping the paper. Inside was a small journal that was leather bound and had the name Cass written in an elegant script (A/N Cass is probably the character that I am the least familiar with the origin of. That said, I’m going to run off the assumption that she is learning to read when she is brought to join n the Wayne family. If I am wrong, lmk, for now, this is what we are vibing with). The quiet girl gave Marinette a tentative hug as a thank you before Tim knocked on the doorframe.

“Time to go, ladies. Your chariot awaits.” Marinate rolled her eyes at their brother while throwing a pair of balled up socks at him.

“We’re coming, boy genius. Be fearful though, this is the start of an alliance. Soon, maybe ill be able to finally compete against you boys on game night without rigging the games!” Tim spluttered at her declaration as she strode past him. He huffed and hurried after the girls, bemoaning Bruce for making this trip a ‘family affair’.

Three hours later, Tim and Dick were each carrying handfuls of shopping bags, as the family of five re-entered their temporary living space. The girls were walking together, Marinette explaining some of her ideas for different designs. Alfred smiled at them as they all stood talking together, until an unfamiliar ringtone broke the low ambiance. The brothers looked at each other in confusion, while Bruce raised an eye at his youngest daughter. The girl flushed in embarrassment and dug into her purse for a long moment before pulling out a phone that was very obviously not her own. “ **hey! Is everything ok**?” her immediate switch to French made the others pause and zero in on her conversation. “ **Oh, you caught it. How much damage was there?** ” A pause and then, “ **do I need to- I know I’m supposed to be on vacation but- oh fine! Leave it on my balcony in the jar, ill take care of as soon as I can**.” A beat, and the girl made a face at whatever the person on the other end of the phone said. “ **stay safe, and call me if you need me, yeah?** ” once she had hung up, the girl turned back to them with a raised eyebrow. “what? Are you saying you don’t have a second phone for emergencies?”

The next day, Saturday, was a whirlwind, as Alfred got everyone up and moving by7 am. When asked what was going on by Marinette, the butler simply smiled and moved to lure Dick out of bed. When the family was once again gathered around the breakfast table, Marinette turned to her father and demanded an explanation at the reason for a wakeup call before what she considered ‘reasonable hours’. The man smiled in return, “Today, Marinette, we are going to celebrate your birthday. As promised, this year, the entire fairly will be able to join in.” the girl protested at his declaration.

“what was yesterday? I thought that was us celebrating my birthday without going overboard!” Dick laughed at her shock before jumping into the conversation.

“well, Net, yesterday was part one. Today is part two…and the part that we think you’ll like the most.” At her confusion, Tim leaned over from his spot across the dining table, pushing a stack of six tickets towards her,

“were going to Audrey Bourgeois’ secret fashion show.” The screech that came from the youngest in the family was well worth the suspense.

As the family approached the hidden venue, Marinette felt excitement bubble up once again. She had spent the day making sure that the entire family was dressed appropriately for the event. Somehow, Bruce had managed to buy a dress on the sly for her, after catching her gazing longingly at it for the duration of their time in the shop. As for the others, for the most part, they had the necessary pieces to put together a look that would be presentable at the secret show. The door was opened once they had handed over their tickets, and the Wayne family were handed a stack of passes that they hurriedly settled around their necks as they were show their way to their seats.

When the catwalk lit up, Marinette sat there, frozen, anticipating the beginning of the show. The lights blacked out, and a spotlight followed the first model on her way towards the middle of the room. Marinette’s breath caught in shock at the beauty of the coat that was trailing down the runway. As the next model made his way out, Marinette lost herself in the world of fashion.

After, Bruce turned to the girl and raised an eyebrow, “so…was this too over the top for your birthday?” the 14-year-old smiled at her father.

“no,” she breathed, “it was perfect”


	8. Day 8: Driving

Marinette smiled at her brother as he helped her unload her bags from the car. When he had called and asked if she wanted to come visit for a month, the fifteen-year-old had jumped at the chance to get out of Paris. When she had landed, the first thing she had done was take a deep breath and started to process everything that had happened over the school year. At the sound of Tim scrambling down to give her a hug, Marinette brought herself back to the present. The taller teen caught her up in a hug and she clung to him and giggled. When he put her down, Marinette turned at towards the sound of measured steps nearing the group. The boy approaching her scowled and crossed his arms. Marinette shook her head fondly at him and waved. She knew that Damien wasn’t her biggest fan, but she still tried her hardest to get along with the youngest in the family. While she had been greeting Damien, Cass had made her way over, and moved Tim out of the way. Once the girls had reunited, Marinette made to pick up her bags, only to have three sets of hands reach to stop her. With a huff, the noirette set her gaze on her younger brother. “Well, Damien, shall we?” the boy looked her over with sharp green eyes and nodded.

” Yes, sister, we shall.” The duo made their way up the drive to the manor, where Alfred was standing and watching them with a fond smile.

As they made their way closer, Marinette studied the butler. When she had, once, asked how long her had been taking care of the family, the man had smiled at her and simply said “A very long time now, Miss Marinette.” No matter who she asked, that was the clearest answer she could get.

Dick, Cass, and Tim soon followed, each carrying a bag. While Marinette had insisted that she didn’t need the extra bags, Dick had insisted that she pack an absurd amount of clothing. He had promised the extra bags would be paid for, and that was that. Marinette was not pleased, to say the least, but had reluctantly agree to her brother’s wishes.

At dinner that evening, Marinette was surprised to be greeted by Jason plopping down across form her. When she cast an uncertain glance at the chair that belonged to Bruce, Jason smirked. “B had to leave the country for something and took Duke with him. Suddenly, I had an open invitation to the manor again.” At her unimpressed response the young adult grinned. “I can’t wait to raise hell while mi here.” At Jason’s proclamation, Dick cleared his throat.

“actually, you won’t be raising hell, because none of us are going to be here.” At the looks of shock that were flooding the table, Dick smirked. “The reason we are all here is…DRUM ROLL PLEASE” Tim rolled his eyes but obliged the oldest, “we are going on a family vacation!” Damien groaned and Cass smiled.

“Dam it Dick, really?” came from Tim, while Jason shook his head in disbelief. Marinette, on the other hand blinked in confusion.

“what…what do you mean, a vacation? Is that why you had me pack an absurd amount of stuff?”

“Correct! And we are going to have so! Much! Fun!” At Dick’s excitement, Tim rolled his eyes and leaned over to whisper to Marinette

“how likely is it that someone is in the emergency room by the end of the first week?” She shook her head in response,

“that’s not even worth betting over.” Tim huffed at the ease she had used to cut off his train of thought.

“50 bucks say we are taking a plane.”

“I say were carpooling. Dick would see it as family bonding.”

“done. When your handing over the money, just remember to be thankful that we aren’t cooped up in tin cans with the rest of the hoard for weeks on end.”

“and when you hand over your money, make sure we are in the same car. I want a little bit of sanity on this trip.” The teens shook on their bet and turned to see the rest of the family looking at them, obviously wondering what exactly had taken place. Marinette flashed a smile at them, “sorry, did you need something?”

The next morning when Dick went around knocking on doors and waking up the family, only two went left unopened. When he bounded into the kitchen however, he found two pairs of blue eyes watching him from the table, coffee mugs in hand. He shook his head and moved to pour a bowl of cereal. When he turned back towards the table, he found them still looking at him. “yes?” it seemed that his question was all that was needed to prompt them.

“where are we going?” Tim started them off.

“it’s a surprise”

“when do we leave?” Marinette cut in before he had time to finish talking.

“two hours. Alfred packed everyone’s bags on the sly.”

“how long is the trip?” Marinette again.

“a few weeks. Why? Afraid you’ll miss Gotham?”

“when is our flight?” Tim, who was asking with quite a lot of hope

“who said anything about a flight?”

“shit.” At Tim’s face, Dick looked surprised. Marinette however, looked practically gleeful.

“looks like I won that bet! Hand it over, brother.” The pain on the seventeen-year-olds face was laughable.

“but- “

“Tim! 50. Dollars.”

“he hasn’t said we are taking the cars yet!”

“its implied, you genius. Honestly, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one!” Tim halfheartedly glared at her as he handed over a crisp $50 and returned to his coffee. Before Dick could ask any more questions, Jason and Cass mad their presence know, while Damian followed a few minutes later.

When Alfred had helped Dick usher the rest of the family over to two cars, he turned to face them with a big smile. While they jostled each other, Steph climbed out of her car and hurried over, looking very pleased with herself. She paused by one of the cars and deposited her bag before joining them.

“alright, now that everyone is here, lets get started. We have two cars and will be rotating through drivers. Sorry, Damian and Net, you two are forbidden form touching the wheel. Now, I have decided on our seating arrangements already. Jason, Tim, and Ste- “

“and Little Bit. Marinette rides with us.” Dick blinked at the interruption and tried to protest only to see the other three nodding at Tim’s proclamation. He sighed.

“fine. Damian, Cass. You two will ride with me. If something comes up, we’ll rearrange. Now, today we are going to make it our goal to get closer to the middle of the country. After that, we will re-evaluate and pick a destination. Load up!”

The first four hours were fine. No, they were more than fine. Then, Jason got bored and started to play music to get on the other’s nerves. When he got banished to the back, Stephanie pounced at the chance to move up front and keep Tim company. In theory, it was a good idea. That is, until the blonde demanded that they stop every half hour for food. After the third pitstop, Tim moved her stuff in the back and kidnapped Marinette’s phone. When the others reconvened, there was a slight scuffle before they realized that Tim had made the call. Since neither of the others wanted to drive, Marinette happily settled into the passenger seat. The next three hours when by quickly. By the time Tim pulled over for gas, Jason and Steph had fallen asleep. While he took care of the car, Marinette slipped into the convince store and restocked on snacks and drinks. Tim grinned at her collection that she hauled out. “magnum bars? Really?”

“yup. Best ice cream you can find.” He snorted at her,

“maybe out here in the middle of nowhere. When we get home, remind me to take you for the good stuff.” The girl rolled her eyes and plopped back into her seat.

“let’s go, before Dick thinks we died.”

The next morning, when they all piled back into the cars, the other car called. After a loud…conversation, they settled on working towards St. Louis, and going from there. Once the groups were well and truly on the road again, Jason started them on games. First was truth or dare. After that was never have I ever, food edition. (A/N-when my friends car trip, we play this. Instead of a shot, you eat. That’s all.) after the four had exhausted all of their tame, non-hero topics, the Gotamites started to slip some of their exploits that Marinette Was Not Supposed to Know About into the game. Once they had gotten as far as they could without revealing their secret identities as the Vigilante Bats of Gotham, they moved on to telling embarrassing stories. After lunch, where they stopped and switched drivers, Tim and Marinette got into a debate over a shared book series, while Jason and Steph played loud music and sang off key up front. After dinner, when they switched back, Jason and Steph once again fell asleep.

Two hours out from St. Louis, Tim turned to his little sister. “Hey Little Bit, how would you like to drive for a bit? I know you have your permit.” Marinette threw a glance over her shoulder and grinned at him.

“are you sure? Dad won’t ride with me when I drive. He says I’m worse than Jason.” Tim sniggered at the face she made while imitating their father.

“as long as we don’t die permanently, we should be fine. Its late enough that you should be ok to drive.” The smile she shot his way made Tim decide immediately that whatever happened during the next two hours, he would do the best he could to let her drive again.

An hour and a half, Tim wasn’t sure if he was right to give the keys to his sister. Somehow, they had beat Dick to the hotel. As Jason and Steph yawned and stretched, the other two made their way towards their hotel for the night. When Dick pulled up 45 minutes later, they had made their way inside, and Jason and Steph had already crashed in their respective rooms. Marinette was sitting in the room she was sharing with Cass while chatting with Tim, who looked a little pale. When Dick stopped by to gather the keys for the room he was sharing with Damian, he shot his brother a worried look.

The next morning, when Dick admitted that it would probably be good to switch up the cars, Jason and Steph jumped at the chance to switch cars. In return, Cass joined the other teens. Without the presence of anyone top pretend at being an adult, the three were able to mess around. When they checked their GPS, the group realized they not only had they been speeding, but they were quite far further than they had planned for lunch. After looking up the nearest food, Tim turned to Marinette and held out the keys. When Cass realized what was going on, she sniggered. That evening, the trio beat the others by over an hour. When asked, they all shrugged and said that they were just having fun.

Two weeks later, after the siblings had returned to the manor, Tim offered to bring Marinette with him while he ran into WE to pick up some paperwork. When the girl had nodded, her brother had grinned and tossed her the keys. At Dick’s shocked splutter, Tim turned and raised an eyebrow at his brother.

“what? Little Bit knows how to drive.” Dick shook his head fervently.

“Tim no! B said that Net was Not to Touch the Keys Unless It Was an Emergency!” Tim sniggered, and Cass who had been listening to their interaction, rolled her eyes. At Dick’s offended look, she looked to Tim. He sighed.

“Dick, she drove for as much of our trip as I did. Plus, I promised her ice cream.”

Dick Grayson’s shouting that followed the duo as they sped out of the drive could be heard echoing for miles, but neither sibling cared.


	9. Day 9: Last Name (Wayne)

Marinette didn’t make a big deal about who her father was. Of course, when she had just met the man, she had relied on her friends to help her navigate the tricky situation. Since then, the teen had gotten good at only saying what she needed to. Chloe knew. Nino knew. Kim and Alix knew. Max knew. They all knew and didn’t bring it up. They knew that she had processed it and moved on. To her, Bruce Wayne was just her father. She didn’t talk about the money or all the work her father did. Marinette made a point to just be herself, and not worry about what names were attached.

At school, of course, she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. On her ID? On her ID, she was Marinette Cheng-Wayne. Only those who needed to know knew. That how Marinette liked to keep it, at least, if she could help it.

When Marinette was 14, a new girl joined her class. The girl was sweet, if a little delicate. She said she had a lot of different injuries and conditions, but who was Marinette to judge? When the girl started to cling to one of the boys, Adrien, Marinette got a little worried. It wasn’t the end of the world, if he had offered to help, but he looked uncomfortable. When she mentioned this to Chloe, the girl had snarled. “That leech has been worming her way into his head. If you could hear what Gabriel was telling him to do- “her friend shook her head. “If I step in, want to help?” Marinette felt a smile crawl its way onto her face.

“gladly.”

Over the next few weeks, the girls watched what their new classmate, Lila, did. By that point, Nino had brought up his own concerns at fit far too well with theirs. Finally, Chloe decided it was time to take action. The blond stormed into the class and settled into her seat with a scowl. When Sabrina hurried over to join her, Chloe shook her head. Marinette took pity on the redhead and tugged the girl to the back of the class with her, whispering a quiet “watch”. When Nino and Adrien came in, Nino made his to the back, where he plopped down next to Kim. Alix and Max sat across the aisle, and all of them were ready for the explosion that was bound to happen. As Lila and Alya slipped in together, chatting and giggling over some story, the others exchanged glances. They had all been pretty close for years. Because of that, it was hard for others to join their group. The newest addition was Sabrina, and that was only because of her tendency to hang around Chloe. A ding on Kim’s phone drew the group's attention, making them all glance down at their own phones. In the group chat, Alix had sent a video linked to the **LadyBlog**.

Alix: saw this, this AM. Might be worth looking into. (video attached from the **LadyBlog** , Titled _The Secrets of the Wayne Family_ )

Mari: wtf

Mari: what is she trying to do

Mari: her ass will get lawyered so fast

Max: she obviously hasn’t thought this through

Kim: is she claiming to know them????

Chlo: oml

Chlo: SLANDER

Chlo: please Mari, please tell me that she doesn’t know your family?

Mari: I mean

Mari: she might? But I think her family name would have come up when Tim and I were planning world domination if she did.

Max:!

Mari: don’t worry, its been put on the back burner. Dad has a new kid that keeps trying to stab Tim w/ a Katana lol.

Nino: Mari, aren’t you supposed to go visit soon? Maybe you should just stay here, dudette.

Chlo: ITS SHOWTIME

The friends hurriedly stowed their phones away and returned their gazes to the front of the room where Lila had approached a confused Adrien. The boy had been deposited next to Chloe in the first row, confusion evident in his green eyes. The Italian girl leaned over the desk, trying to garner as much attention as possible. “Adrien, why don’t you come sit with me? I was hoping you could help me keep up with the lesson.” The dangerous flash of her eyes was so fast that most would have missed it. Marinette narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It looked like Chloe hadn’t been exaggerating about what was going on behind the scenes. Moving before things could get out of hand, Marinette skipped down to the desk.

“I can help, Lila! Literature is one of my favorite subjects!” the anger that glowed behind Lila’s eyes was worrying, but Marinette wasn’t worried. She grabbed the other girl by her elbow and tugged her towards the seat the brunette usually occupied. “I’m sure that Alya wouldn’t mind sitting next to Sabrina!” as Marinette settled into the new seat, Lila folded herself onto the bench and pulled out her notebook, shunning her new seatmate. As Marinette got her own supplies ready, she mentally prepared herself for an hour of clod anger directed at her.

After the bell rang, Marinette slowly started to collect her things. The girl next to her was moving faster than the noirette expected. For a girl who was supposed to a wrist injury, Lila sure wasn’t trying to avoid the pain. Shaking her head, Marinette finished collecting her stuff and went to join Chloe where she was waiting at the door. As they linked arms, Marinette realized that there was a sharp voice behind her, crying. “Oh Alya, it was awful! Marinette wouldn’t answer any of my questions, and told me that if I didn’t understand it, I should keep my mouth shut!” Chloe sniggered next to her and strode away towards the lockers, pulling Marinette with her.

“Honestly, Mari? I wish you had told the brat to shut up, maybe then she would be scared of you.” Marinette rolled her eyes at her best friend.

“your only scared of me, because you’ve seen me with Tim, and know that we already are on the path to world domination.” Chloe shook her head and closed her locked with a soft thud.

“Mari, you are worse than all of your brothers, simply because you don’t use your father's name to back you up. If you did that, then you would have the same royal brat rep I do.”

Chlo: so, is anyone going to put a stop to the liar’s yapping?

Adrien: wait what? Chloe, who are the other numbers?

Chlo: Adrien, please.

Chlo: do you really not have these numbers saved already?

Nino: yeah dude, that’s a little mean

Mari: lol yeah, I’m insulted, Adrien!

Adrien: Wait, Nino?

Adrien: who…is in this chat?

Alix: Me!

Max: Markov and myself

Kim: and me, man

Adrien: that…doesn’t help.

Chlo: oh honesty!

Chlo: you idiot, its Mari, Nino, Max, Alix, and Kim.

Chlo: you are Ridiculous

Chlo: UTTERLY RICICULOUS!

Mari: Chloe, chill. I don’t think he’s been in one of our…unique chats before.

Max: affirmative. Adrien usually spends time with Nino, Alya, and Lila if he isn’t with Chloe and Sabrina

Chlo: back to the topic at hand!

Chlo: the brat has to stop

Mari: I mean…she hasn’t done anything we can stop her with yet.

Nino: we need solid proof

Alix: are we just going to forget this AM? (video attached from the **LadyBlog** , Titled _the Secrets of the Wayne Family_ )

Adrien: is someone going to tell me what’s going on?

Mari: we can’t drag them into this, Alix. it’ll make it worse, not better.

Alix: M, are you sure? we could shut her up real fast. Your fam, mine, Chloe’s?

Max: theoretically, it would be the path of least resistance.

Mari: THEY ARE A LAST RESORT

Mari: I AM NOT LETTING JASON MOCK ME FOR THIS

Mari: bc that ass totally will.

Adrien: ok, but what’s going on?

Max: Lila is trying to use you to catapult herself to fame

Kim: haha yeah, its not going to work if we have anything to say about it.

Chlo: also, very happy Mari never brought Alya into the fold

Mari: fuck no

Mari: do you see the way that girl doesn’t research anything. She latches on and never lets go.

Nino: so, you’ve said, Mari. I still think your over exaggerating on that one, lol

Mari: lmfao

Mari: Nino, she thinks I have a crush on ADRIEN of all people.

Mari: sorry, Adrien, bc you’re my friend? But she latched onto something and won’t let it go

Alix: shit I remember that. She tried to get us to set the two of you up. Those plans SUCKED.

Mari: remember how I kept sabotaging them lol? She just thought that fate was against her

Max: logically, shouldn’t that be a sign that you two aren’t meant to be?

Mari: haha I wish. After that, she tried to set me up with Chat Noir.

Chlo: WAIT

Chlo: that’s what Lady Wi-Fi was about?

Mari: yesssssssss

Adrien: um…should I be concerned about this?

Kim: I mean…no? its normal at this point.

Max: Chloe, plan #3 might work for taking down Lila? We wouldn’t need Mari’s family to join in if we do that.

Mari: if that fails, I’ll call Tim.

Mari: but ONLY if #3 fails, and we can’t make say…#5 work.

Chlo: you got yourself a deal, Marinette.

When the group entered the classroom together the next day, Chloe and Marinette were chattering excitably together. Adrien and Nino were talking about something on his phone while Max was keeping sore for whatever competition Kim and Alix had going on. When Lila approached Adrien and tugged him over to her seat, the others tracked her movement wordlessly.

When Alya came in and found them watching, she smirked at them. “those two make a cute couple, don’t they? Lila was practically glowing earlier when she was talking about the date they went on last night.” The friends exchanged telling glances but otherwise brushed the girl off as they dispersed to their seats. As she made her way to the seat she had claimed at the back at the beginning of the year, Marinette paused by Lila’s desk.

“Lila, do you need help again today? I know that the topics we’re covering are a little difficult if you’re not familiar with them.” The brunette scowled up at her.

“sorry, _Marinette_ , but you can’t really keep up with the help I need.” The smaller girl shrugged.

“I’m sorry that you feel that way, Lila. If you ever need help, feel free to ask.” as she made her way to her seat, Marinette could hear Lila say loudly

“She’s just jealous that I have connections like the Wayne’s and Jagged stone and she’s just a little miss nobody.”

Mari: fuck it, it’s on bitch. I’m calling Jagged and Clara. These are slander charges now.

Chlo: should I expect your family’s lawyers too?

Mari: hell no. Tim is a last resort.

Mari: dad’s friend tho? THEY are defiantly going to be getting a few phone calls.

Mari: hey Jagged, Penny. I have just a tiny question.

Penny: Marinette! We were getting ready to contact you! What’s going on?

Mari: what kind of slander would be bad enough to sue over?

Penny: why?

Mari: this (voice file attached. Label reads _SeNd To JaGgEd ASAP_ )

Jagged: little lady…where did you get this?

Mari: I recorded it during class today

Jagged: this liar is your age?

Penny: Marinette, would you mind if I send this to our lawyers?

Mari: go right ahead.

Tim: so…

Tim: would you like to explain why Jagged Stone is ranting to B in the entryway about a “little lying brat” who is in his “favorite niece’s class?”

Mari: wat

Mari: idk what you’re talking about

Tim: Little Bit, you can’t possibly think he hasn’t name dropped you yet.

Mari: WHAT.

Mari: fuck

Tim: ummmmmm

Tim: WHEN DID YOU START CUSSING?

Mari: tim. Please remember who my brothers are.

Tim: OH neverminded

Tim: why didn’t you get me involved?

Mari: theres no reason for Marinette Dupain-Cheng to know the Wayne fam

Mari: also, we wanted to use #3 and #5 first. If they didn’t work (they are) we were going to rain fire lolz.

Tim: fine. When your ready for the power that comes with the name, lmk

Tim: aslo, I insist on being included in the planning.

Mari: also*

Tim: fuck off

Tim: I wan to be ready for whatever damage control might be needed with the press

Tim: also, I live the kind of chaos that you and Chloe create together lolz

When Adrien turned to Marinette during lunch that day, there was clear confusion in his eyes. “Mari?”

“what’s up, Adrien?”

“who was that guy…Tim? That Chloe kept mentioning?”

“oh? She didn’t tell you?” the blond shook his head, looking worried. Marinette smiled ruefully and sighed.

“he’s my older brother on my father’s said.” When Adrien furrowed his brow, Marinette elaborated. “My father lives in the United States and runs a big corporation. He spends a bit of time in the limelight, but he keeps us all out of the press.”

“the…Dupain family?” Marinette laughed before smoothing over her friend’s confusion.

“no, Tom is my dad, but Bruce is my Father. He lives on the east coast, and I spend most holidays and breaks with my siblings over there.” Adrien nodded and smiled at her.

“I guess that makes sense. Its really cool at you get to spend your time with both sides of your family like that. What is your father’s last name then? I don’t think I’ve heard it.” Marinette winced.

“My father’s last name is Wayne. Anywhere except school, I use the name Marinette Cheng-Wayne.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, that's a wrap. for once, this could be read by itself with almost no context. this will fit into the overall storyline, but I had to go back and set the stage (this) for when Mari is 15. here, its the beginning of the school year that she turns 15. (her b-day is in April bc I want to mess with cannon even more than I already do.)


	10. Day 10: Consulation

Tim was not expecting to receive a call from his little sister in the middle of September. They had almost two months before she was going to be joining them for Thanksgiving and he had seen her right before she had gone back to school. When he picked up the phone at 3 am, he knew that something had to be wrong. Marinette knew that he was 6 hours behind her. “Mari?” The tears on the other end of the phone made Tim pause. “Mari what’s wrong?” his confusion was palpable. “Marinette, is everything ok?”

“I- “

“Little Bit, its ok, take your time. Just talk it out with me” now, more than ever, Tim was grateful at Damian insisted on keeping a rigid sleep schedule. The brat was awful with emotions and Tim didn’t want Marinette’s first impression of the kid to be him cussing her out for being vulnerable.

“they _left_ me! Chloe and I worked so hard for this trip, and they left us!” understanding hit Tim right in the face. Marinette and Chloe had been working all summer to help the class raise funds to go on an overnight trip. The class had raised enough to spend a week exploring the countryside, and Tim was planning on flying out and surprising his sister later in the week. Well, he had been planning on flying out later in the week, it looked like he was going to be there much earlier than expected.

“Mari, hey. That’s awful. I know that the past weeks have been hard. Can you take a deep breath for me? Talk me through what’s going through your head.” A jagged breath on the other side of the phone made Tim close his eyes and reminded himself that he couldn’t just show up and scare the kids for hurting his sister, no matter how much he wanted to.

“I…I thought they knew how hard we worked for this trip. All the planning, all the fund raising. We worked so hard and they just left us! Chloe and I got here and- “here, her voice broke and Tim could hear his sister wrestle her breathing back under control. “they left at 5 am. THREE HOURS EARLY. They-“ once again Marinette broke off, but Tim could tell that the girl was slightly calmer. At this point, he could practically hear her mind running through plans a mile a minute. “they plotted to get us off the trip, but Chloe and I had made all the reservations in our names. Chlo is on the phone with Alix, apparently, she was told the departure was changed to 10, and all the others are saying the same. It- it came from Alya. So…that’s a start.”

“what was on their itinerary today?”

“just settling in, the bus is supposed to return to Paris this afternoon. The goal is to be able to relax and not worry about the ins and outs of the Akuma and emotional control.” Tim paused for a minute as he digested what his sister was saying.

“wait in Paris. I’m changing my ticket. I’ll be with you before you know it, and we’ll get you all out to meet up with your class.” At his sister’s protest, Tim snorted. “M, I was planning on surprising you later this week, so its not that hard to do. Plus, I’m using B’s money.” His sister sniggered at his last comment.

“Tim?”

“yeah M?”

“Thank you.”

“Always, Little Bit.” At the nickname, Marinette snorted.

“I’m going to go start putting out fires. See you soon, brother.”

“see you soon, Mari.”

That evening, Marinette stood at the airport waiting on her brother. Once he came into view, the girl started fighting her way through the crowds to her brother. When she got to him, he wrapped her in a hug. For just a moment, the girl let herself cling to her brother and relax. Tim was here, and he was going to help her fix things.

When they made their way outside, the siblings found Chloe waiting impatiently by the car. When they were in her sight, the blonde huffed and strode back the way she had come. The duo laughed and followed after her dutifully.

The next morning, Marinette, her brother, and her friends stood on the platform of the train station. Today, they would travel out to meet their class. Marinette had received a call the night before, because no one had singed in. when the girl had explained the circumstances, the hotel desk person had shaken their head and assured her that the rooms would be there for them when they arrived.

When they reached their destination, Marinette had been buzzing with energy and excitement. Not only were they out of Paris, but now she and her friends were going to be able to bond and have fun. Even better? Her older brother was with her.

While her friends organized their bags, Marinette checked in. after getting everything cleared up, she and Tim made their way back over to the group. When key cards had been handed out, the friends split up to find their rooms. Max and Kim, Adrien and Nino, Alix and Chloe. Marinette slipped into her single and smiled at Tim who was across from her, next to the guys’ rooms.

That evening, Chloe called their teacher and found out where they were eating. The friends met up with the rest of the class, who were mostly clueless. Rose and Juleka welcomed them with opened arms, Ivan light up at the sign of the group. Sabrina smiled, and Arure and Mireille beckoned them over to where Nathaniel and Marc were sitting with them. The only people who didn’t look happy were Alya and Lila. _Shit._

“Marinette! Why did you change the departure time, if you knew you couldn’t make it! We had to sleep in the worst hotel ever because of you!” when Lila started to cry, Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Listen Lila, I know that you like to blow things out of proportion, but Sabrina sent me a picture of the hotel. It was perfectly fine. Now, if you are done with your tantrum, get your stuff. We have the hotel keys.” At that, Bustier hurried over, suddenly very interested. The teacher stopped short, when she realized that Marinette had brought someone with her.

“Marinette, who exactly is this?” The girl flashed her teacher a dangerously sharp smile.

“My brother. He came to help make sure that everything was smoothed over.” The sugary sweetness in the girl’s voice made the teacher pale. The way the teacher stood nervous and fearful made Marinette happier than she had been in a while. She knew that the teacher was trying to ignore the tensions in the class, but that wasn’t how it worked. In the end, it might have worked too, if Marinette wasn’t so familiar with the doubled standards the teacher had started to enforce. Now this? This is where it would become fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know its shorter. im going to try and get day 11 done tonight so that I can be ahead again. sorry, yall.
> 
> if there are any ideas, lmk. I'm trying to fill in some holes in my plot rn so that I can just add on after the month is over :)


	11. Day 11: The (Vigilante) Talk

Over Thanksgiving, Marinette has happily settling into her room at Wayne Manor. Alfred had welcomed her with a smile and Tim had wrapped her into a hug. Dick had talked excitably at her and Bruce had called a welcome as he made his way in form work. The family didn’t realize how much noise they were making until a small boy stormed down the stairs. His face was pulled into a scowl and he had a katana gripped tightly in his hand. When he came face to face with Marinette, the little boy snarled. She looked at the 10-year-old and smiled at him. “hi! You must be Damian! It’s nice to finally met you, brother.” The boy looked her over and turned away.

“tt” Although it wasn’t the overjoyed welcome that she hadn’t gotten from the others, the Parisian still felt like the greeting from the child was a complement.

“No. No way. The kid hates everyone! How did you get him to like you?” the shock in Tim’s voice made Marinette giggle.

“You know Tim, there is such a thing as _kindness_ , you should try it sometime.”

“Little Bit!”

“Nettttttttttt you’re going to make Tim cry!”

“good, he deserves it! That little boy didn’t come here for you to go after him!”

“um…are we forgetting that the demon Brat _tried to kill me_? “Marinette smirked at Tim’s offense.

“nope!”

When the others had disappeared (gone on patrol) for the night, Bruce pulled his youngest daughter into one of the smaller sitting rooms. “Marinette, we need to talk.” The girl tensed before sighing.

“is…is this about the…altercation this spring?” Bruce nodded solemnly. He could see his daughter bracing herself. “are you mad?” the quiet question made him choke.

“Mad? Why would I be mad? Marinette, you handled everything so. Well. I just wanted to go over something that come into play with that…pastime.” His daughter furrowed her brow in confusion. “you and I are not the only vigilantes in the family. The others just haven’t told you yet.” Her face lit up in excitement.

“you mean…you mean my brother? And Cass? And Steph?” Bruce nodded at her questions.

“yes. The entire family. Here, in Gotham, we all abide by a code.” Understanding flooded her face.

“what is the code?” there were nerves in Marinette’s voice, but the way she took the information he was throwing at her made him proud. Taking a deep breath, Bruce broke down what he made all the rules he had his children abide by when in the field. Partway through, Tikki settled on Marinette’s shoulder to be a part of the conversation. When Bruce was done, he looked at the two, waiting for questions. The Kawmii hovered to be eye level with the teen and the duo started to talk back and forth in rapid fire. The language they were using was not one that he was familiar with, however.

Marinette glared at her Kawmii where she sat on her nose. “no.” the goddess of luck sighed but followed her chosen’s lead in switching out of the guardian language and back to English.

“Marinette. You don’t have to live by the archaic rules that Master Fu enforced. You saw what happened to him! I don’t want you to alone too!”

“Tikki, as much as I love you, and I love that you care, I am not alone. I have my dad; I have my parents in Paris. I have my brothers, my sisters, and my friends. Hell, even my partner has been fantastic! This needs to stay as. It. Is.” Bruce cleared his throat, cautious. He had seen what Marinette was capable of doing when she was truly angry, he didn’t need that rage leveled at him.

“Marinette is there more going on?” the little goddess of luck took advantage of his attention.

“Yes! Marinette is the Guardian now! She won’t tell Chat and she’s trying to do the work of an entire order by herself!” his daughter froze. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. Sure, Marinette had looked more tired, and yes, the girl had seemed more on edge. In his defense, Bruce mainly dealt with heroes and villain s outside of the office. The signs she had been showing were normal for that of a leader of a hero team when life went to the dogs. As he looked closer, Bruce noticed smaller signs that normally would go unnoticed. Tenser shoulders, paler skin. In fact, …

“Marinette…” Bruce paused. If he was right, then he knew how to help a little bit. If he was wrong, ALL of his daughters were going to eviscerate him. “Net, have you been eating? I know that when I start to get wrapped up in a case, I forget about basic needs. Sometimes I can loose entire weeks in the cave, subsisting on what Alfred brings me.” The 14-year-old had tensed, looking ready to defend herself or run if she had to. When Bruce mentioned his own habit, the teen had relaxed.

“I- yes. I do that too. Sometimes, Tikki isn’t enough to break me out of my thoughts. If there isn’t an emergency…” Bruce nodded in understanding.

“what does your partner do, when that happens?”

“wellllll”

“Marinette. For the love of all that is holy, please tell me that you know who each other are.” She flinched slightly at the change in his voice, before she fervently shook her head.

“the last guardian…he didn’t want us to know about each other. He didn’t want us to know more than strictly necessary, actually.” In that moment, Bruce saw red. Not only had this man thrown two teens into the fire and walked off, he had taken any form of support with him.

“Net, do you trust Chat Noir?” the noirette nodded.

“would you please take some advice?” she studied him before nodding hesitantly.

“when you two have the time, meet out of the suit. Know who each other are, and what each other’s downfalls are. Know how to help each other and how to keep the other in a space that is safe. It is so, so important to have someone to lean on. I have not only your siblings, but Alfred and the Justice League. I promise that if you need help, ever, I will do all I can to help. But you need someone on site. You need someone who understands nearby.”

“Is…is that why you have partners? So that if needed, you can step back?” the timidity in Marinette’s voice mad Bruce pause.

“Marinette are you present at every Alums attack? Even when your out of town?”

“I have to be. I…Ladybug is the only one who can fix everything afterwards. If I’m not there, people stay dead and business shut down and hospitals stay damaged and overflowing. If I’m not there, we don’t have any of our landmarks, any of the things that make Paris the city it is.”

“how are you getting back and forth? It takes too long to fly, right?” the younger vigilante hesitated and glanced at Tikki before pulling out a small jewelry box.

“I keep Kaalki's glasses with me. If there is an emergency, I teleport in, handle everything, and teleport out. I’ve been lucky so far, because no one has noticed.” There was a sound, as Bruce went to respond. When they turned, the two found Dick making his way into the kitchen, wearing a pair of joggers with his hair still wet. Marinette paused and put two and two together as she realized that her siblings must be getting back for the night.

When Dick stumbled into the kitchen at 3 am, he wasn’t expecting his little sister to still be up. Because of that, he had not fully changed back into his regular clothing. He had showered, of course. After flying over the city for hours though, the young adult was ready to go to bed. As he reached for a box of cereal and a bowl, he vaguely registered Bruce sitting at the counter. When Dick turned to see who was sitting besides his father figure, he froze. Sitting there looking completely unsurprised was- “Marinette.” He froze, he processed who was sitting at the counter, and exactly what time of night it was. “I. Um. Well…hi?” the sheepishness in his voice was clear. The younger noirette simply shook her head.

“early morning snack? I hadn’t realized how late dad and I had stayed up talking. I should probably head to bed so I can function in a few hours.” As the girl hopped up, Dick realized that Bruce looked…upset. Was…was Marinette using his interruption to get out of whatever conversation they had been having? If the girl’s blinding smile and small wave was anything to go by, the answer was most likely yes.

When Marinette joined the family the next morning at breakfast, her father raised an eyebrow at her from farther down the table. “did you sleep well after our unfinished conversation last night, Marinette?” Dick swung his gaze to look at her.

“so, I did interrupt something last night!” the guilty look Marinette flashed in his direction made him scoff. “sneak.”

“but I’m still your favorite, right?” he paused, considering her statement.

“you, missy, are on probation.” They laughed, before Bruce cleared his throat.

“After breakfast, you are coming to the office with me. We can talk on the way there. There is more to go over from last night.” The teen huffed and slumped into her chair but nodded all the same.

When the two were in the car, Marinette stared out the window. “what else is there to go over, dad?” the dejectedness in her tone made Bruce sigh.

“Marinette, hey,” he nudged her to get the girl to look over at him. “you aren’t in trouble. I just want to make sure that you are safe. I know exactly how hard this life is and I know how dangerous it is. I want to make sure that you are taken care of if anything happens.”

“I…I don’t know how to approach the idea of knowing who may partner is. We’ve lived in secret for so long, it’s hard to imagine a place where I can go to him outside of the suit. Or! What if he doesn’t like me without a mask on? I don’t want to hate him or have trouble working with him if I know him in real life and we don’t get along.” Bruce stayed silent, letting his daughter let her fears show through. Sometimes he forgot that the girl was nervous. She was always so confidant around him, that he forgot that she had a tendency to overthink.

“start slow. Explain to him that you met an older vigilante over some travels, and that you talked through some of your fears with them. Suggest meeting somewhere outside of the city to talk, and work form there. Find a place, together, where you can go and work on tracking down Hawkmoth. A base of sorts. Once you have the base work between yourself and your partner, ill send one of your brothers. I’ll send them under the guise of forming bonds with Ladybug and Chat Noir. With a man on the ground, I can help you in anyway you need. And,” here, Bruce shot her a small smile. “this way I wont be taking over. The Justice League isn’t taking over either.” Marinette hesitated, before nodding.

“I…I like that”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, you can find me at itsmeevie on Tumblr! come on over and check it out.   
> i hope y'all liked this twist, bc I was originally either skip the day or use an alternate topic. i thought it turned out well, and gave me some plot to play with.
> 
> oh! and this time, Adrien isn't going to be Chat? i think? I'm playing with some ideas, bu ti have ehim earmarked for something else.


	12. Day 13: Gifts

A teen was standing in an airport, the hood of his hoodie pulled up to hide his dark hair. His hands were stuffed in the pocket of his sweatpants, and he kept his eyes (really blue eyes!) fixed on his phone. When the arrival of the last flight from Paris for the night was announced, he glanced up, scanning the area. Satisfied that whoever he was looking for wasn’t yet at the baggage claim, he returned to his phone.

20 minutes later, the device binged, and his head shot up, once again scanning the area. The athletic boy’s face split into a smile when he locked eyes with a girl who was waiting near a pile of bags, looking through the ones that were spitting out. The boy made his way over and pulled the girl into a hug. After they had snagged the last of her bags (how on earth did the kid have 6???) the two made their way to the parking garage. When they neared the doors separating the warm airport, the boy pulled the girl’s hood up and made sure his was up as well before pulling the bags he had taken behind him. the tow hurried through the cold air, heads down.

As they passed a line of cars in the drop off lane, the boy’s hood got knocked off by the wind. He ducked down further, but by then, it was too late. “Timothy! Timothy Drake!” his name flew through the reports and visitors in the crowd. The boy, Tim, scowled and cut those closest to him a glare. The girl behind him sniggered at his distress before pulling her hood farther forward. As she pushed past the teen, there was a flash of blue eyes, before she was pulling him after her. As they hurried off, there were multiple flashes of cameras and questions floated through the air.

\---

“what that fuck did you do?” the question was punctuated by the slamming of Marinette’s door. Tim huffed as he slumped into the driver’s seat.

“I didn’t do anything though! Honestly, it’s not my fault B has been making me do the public appearances for WE!” at his sister’s suspicious look, the older teen made a face and checked to make sure she had buckled her seatbelt.

Soon, the two were speeding down the road that led to the manor, where the rest of the family was gathering. When they walked in, they were greeted by Alfred, who gave Tim an unimpressed look before smiling at Marinette and insisting that the two go join the family in the big sitting room.

When they entered, they found everyone staring at the television, where a news story was flashing on the screen. As the Anchor continued to talk, a picture of whatever had caught the family’s interest appeared on the screen and-

“well shit, Timmy, can’t you even pretend to be low key?” Jason’s question made the other boy groan and throw himself into a chair.

“I tried, Jason. I tried. It wasn’t until we were almost to the car that someone saw us.” He glanced at the image on the TV, “at least M can’t be seen clearly. That went correctly.” Jason snorted derisively and let himself fall back into his seat.

“how long do you think before the conspiracy theories start flying?” at his question, Marinette looked up from where she was scrolling through her phone.

“oh, those have already started. Half of Twitter thinks I’m Tim’s Girlfriend.” The room erupted in laughter and the siblings moved to accommodate the teens before turning back to the news.

\---

Bruce smiled at his children as they started to stumble down the stairs. First, Marinette had come down from her room. The 14-year-old had taken the holiday to swap out her jeans and long-sleeved tees for a pair of leggings and a long green top that settled mid-thigh. Although her clothes weren’t festive, per say, you could tell she had thought her appearance through very carefully. At this point, Bruce mused, he wouldn’t expect anything less from the budding fashion designer. Next had come Tim, somewhere around 5 am. The teen had also changed from his Pajamas into what Bruce realized was an outfit Marinette had planned. Black joggers, black tee peeking out from under a red hoodie, and a pair of slippers that Bruce suspected were actually his.

Once the two had curled up together gripping their coffee, Dick and Jason appeared. They too had forgone the customary pjs for joggers, in Dicks case, and sweats in Jason’s. Dick was wearing a deep blue hoodie that was almost back, with…OH that must have been Marinette’s doing who else was going to make a custom hoodie for Dick that displayed his Nightwing symbol so subtly. Jason on the other hand…Marinette clearly had put less into being subtle with him. instead of a deep garnet that could blend into the bat symbol on his chest, the hoodie was a bright glaring red. On the back, in cursive, the name “Red Hoodie” had been sewn. Bruce held back a laugh of disbelief at the ease the girl had used to sneak the hoodies into the boy’s wardrobe.

While Bruce was marveling at his daughter’s creativity and sneakiness, Cass slipped in and settled next to him. she too was wearing a hoodie that Bruce now recognized as one of Marinette’s. it was black on black with white outlining the bat symbol. At his look of amusement, Cass handed him the hoodie in her hands. It was black like hers, except much bigger and completely devoid of color. As he inspected the hoodie, Bruce found a small selection of embroidery on the bottom hem. “dad, I didn’t want to do anything huge, but this is a thank you, and a small reminder that I love you. Stay safe, Marinette Cheng-Wayne” he smiled as he ran his fingers over the stitching.

When he glanced over at Cass again, he found her playing with the embroidery on her own hoodie where it met her leggings. Before he could turn and say anything to the designer, Damien made his presence known as he entered the room. The boy scowled at everyone before he plopped down on next to Marinette, on the side opposite of Tim. Bruce shook his head as he watched his two youngest interact, Damien in a green hoodie and sweats. The hoodie wasn’t anything special, except for the red lining and yellow accents that Marinette had obviously added as a nod to his hero persona.

\---

Alfred came in shortly after and handed out coffee and Hot Cocoa. As the siblings woke up, they moved so that the family made a semi-circle around the tree. They pulled out their phones and started checked the time, texted their friends, and generally got accustomed to the early morning.

When Alfred came back to join them, toting two giant trash bags and a camera, Dick perked up, it was time to start handing out presents. As the young adult started moving through the room, the others sorted what he was handing them when they all were given boxes in an unfamiliar paper, many of the older ones traded confused glances with each other. When the last present had been distributed, everyone turned to Damien who glanced around in confusion. “what? Do I have something on my face?” the others laughed, and Marinette bumped him with her elbow.

“its not that, little brother, you are the youngest, so you go first. You open one and everyone else will take turns after until it comes back to you!” the boy rolled his eyes at her explanation, before reaching for the paper that the rest of the family knew signifies that the gift was from Alfred. When the youngest had opened the parcel to reveal a selection of books on drawing and wildlife, Marinette smiled at him and nodded to Dick, who had ended up next to Damien. Dick flashed her a bright smile and opened his own present form Alfred. After Dick, Jason tugged off the paper on his box. Then, Cass who turned to Bruce with a prompting tilt of her head. After Bruce had opened his bag (really, Alfred! He didn’t need any more books on raising emotionally stable children. He had done well so far, right?) he nodded to Alfred who raised a pointed eyebrow at him (about what, Bruce wasn’t sure. He hadn’t done anything yet, had he? It was barely 6 in the morning!). Tim rolled his eyes at their interaction, before ripping open his own package and letting out a yelp of happiness at the stack of books that he found waiting for him. After that, Marinette simply giggled at the family antics and opened her gift. When Damien reached for the next present, Alfred lifted his camera to capture the smiles that were flooding the room.

\---

Somehow, Damien had left the unfamiliar papered gift for last. When he reached for it, he tried to do a mental tally to figure out who it could be from. First they had opened Alfred’s gifts, so it couldn’t be him. then they had moved onto Bruce’s then Jason’s. After that, they had gone through Cass’s (apparently, she was a notoriously bad gift giver) and his own. Then, Damien had reached for the ones he knew came from Marinette, before deigning to opened Tim’s. if they had opened all of the family presents, then…” Alfred, why are these under the family tree?” Dick’s question broke Damien from his thoughts. “shouldn’t we wait until the Kents get here to open these?” the old Butler shook his head and gestured for the vigilante to open the box.

When Dick did as instructed, he full on squealed. “How!” at the family’s confusion, the oldest of the siblings held up a card that had been nestled inside. The small crème square read ‘Complements of MCW’. As the family processed what they were seeing, all hell broke loose. The others tore into the boxes in front of them, and all found a personalized gift, and a matching Christmas sweater. No one noticed Marinette’s small smile at the chaos surrounding her, or that though she had the Christmas sweater, she didn’t have a personalized item to go with.

No one, that is, except Tim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you follow me on Tumblr, you may have seen this, but I was having trouble with the day 12 prompt, so it is currently sitting on my computer. i don't have it finished and if it ever finds its way to this, it'll probably be in outline form.


	13. Day 14: Gala (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ummm hi? i just wanted to give yall a huge heads up that this IS part one of two, and part two will be added when i have time to go back and finish. both my computer and my phone are acting up, and my tablet has a faulty keyboard. that said, im going to work to get things back on track.

Two days after Christmas, the manor was buzzing with activity. The Kents had arrived the day before, and now everyone was prepping for the annual Winter Gala. Marinette was standing in her room, hands on her hips, glaring at her father as he tried to convince her that _no, Marinette, the gala is not that big of a deal._ down the hall, Tim and Damien helped Alfred sort through the myriad of suits and other formal wear that the siblings would be wearing the next night. Jason had left on ‘business’, while Dick was watching over the people brought into finish decorating for the occasion. Once the boys’ clothing had been sorted, Alfred moved on to check on Cass who had been studiously avoiding all activity related to the Gala.

**_In the Crewe Group Chat_ **

Kim: Mari, when do you get back in town??

Chlo: M, there’s damage control to do, do you want me to wait for you?

Max: Marinette, you may want to check your Instagram. I know that you avoid social media in Gotham but…

Chlo: MARINETTE CHENG-WAYNE

Chlo: Pick up your phone

Chlo: MARI

Alix: Chloe, chill.

Alix: there’s only so much we can do if she’s busy today.

Kim: we need to take care of this somehow though.

Alix: do we have ANY OTHER WAY to contact m?

Adrien: why do I feel like I’m missing something very important?

Max: have you checked the news lately?

Adrien: I only really check _AkumaWatch_ , why?

Max: check international news

Adrien: is… is this what I think it is? (Attached is a screenshot of international gossip. At the top of the page is a picture of two teens in hoodies moving away from an airport. They are dragging suitcases and have their heads down to avoid attention. The boy’s hood is thrown back, and his well-known blue eyes are glaring at the photographer. Above it is the title _has Timothy Drake-Wayne finally found love?_ The second screenshot is from farther down the article where there is a picture of Cassandra Cain-Wayne, Damien Wayne and Marinette hurrying along a sidewalk completely bundled up. The caption reads _could this be Tim Drake-Wayne’s mystery girl? Who is she?_ )

Chlo: YES

Chlo: and its gala day so she’s going to be busy af anyways.

Adrien: What do you mean its Gala day? There’s only one Gala today?

Chlo: Duh. Mari is going.

Chlo: Keep up, Adrikins.

Alix: oh god

Alix: does anyone know how her dress turned out? She had been freaking out about it last I heard, and we all know how much M puts by first impressions.

Adrien: Ok, I’m still really confused? There’s only one Gala today? The Wayne Winter Charity Gala, which is really exclusive and a huge to-do? What Gala is Marinette going to???

Nino: dude

Nino: please

Nino: don’t be oblivious.

Mari: what did I miss?

Chlo: DID YOU SEE THE NEWS?????

Mari: um…yes? Jason has been having a ball with all the press. Why?

Chlo: I thought you were trying to be low key?

Mari: tonight

Chlo: IM SORRY??? WHY AM I ONLY HEARING ABOUT THIS NOW????

Alix: well, it’s a good thing you have so many influential friends who keep ending up at the same Galas as you, Mari

Adrien: ok, I’m still confused

Chlo: your going to the Winter Gala, right?

Adrien: yeah? We go every year. The only entertaining part is the fact that the Wayne kids always fight. Otherwise it’s all snobby rich people.

Chlo: I’m taking offence to that, since Alix and I have also been going for years.

Alix: seconded

Mari: to be fair, you both tend to hide away and prank people

Adrien: wait. That was you two?

Adrien: And Marinette, how do you know that?

Mari: omg

Mari: I give up sdjkgb

**_Class Group Chat_ **

Lila: guys! My friend reached out to me…

Alya: wait! Which friend? Is it…?

Lila: yes! Its Maralynn! She’s sooooo excited about her family Gala tonight!

Alix: Maralynn?

Lila: ok, you didn’t hear it from me, but that mystery girl? Seen at the airport with THE Tim Wayne? That’s her! They’re actually twins!

Chloe: oh! That means that Alix, Adrien and I will see her tonight! Its so cool that she trusts you not to reveal who she is…. (:

Marinette: lol isn’t Twitter convinced that she’s dating Tim? AWKWARD

Lila: Maralynn told me that it wasn’t worth it to go after the rumors. I’m trying to respect her decision.

Rose: that’s so sweet, Lila! I didn’t know that you knew the Waynes!

Lila: I don’t know ALL of them, just Maralynn! We were at boarding school together in Italy for a few years.

Marinette: OH WOW

Nino: Chloe, Alix, your going to have to tell us what you think of her?

Lila: oh yes! And if you see my boyfriend, send my love!

Chloe:…BOYFRIEND???

Lila: oh? You didn’t know? Tim and I have had a thing for a while

Marinette: oh really? Chloe, you’ll have to pass on that she’s thinking of him tonight!

Lila: I mean… not if you don’t want to! I wouldn’t want to be a bother on GALA night!

Chloe: if I see him, it won’t be a bother at all Lila!

Marinette shook her head and set her phone down as the class chat continued to blow up. As much as she loved Chloe, she knew that the girl was instigating Lila for fun. When everything blew up, Marinette wanted to be able to stand back and watch the fire burn, but not be close enough to get burned. When she turned in her room, the garment bag in the corner caught her eye. Inside, Marinette knew, was a long black dress. When she had run the design past Alfred, the English man had given her an approving nod. Later, she had heard him mentioning to her father that at least one of his myriad of children would be able to dress themselves. The comment had made the teen giggle and she had made sure to put every effort she could into the gown. More than anything, she wanted to make her family proud. A knock on the door drew her attention and she turned to find Cass standing there, her own gown held in its own garment bag.

“get ready? Together?” the noirette lit up at her older sister’s suggestion and she nodded excitedly. The other girl moved into the room and hung the bag in her arms over the wardrobe next to Marinette’s. after she had deposited her shoes, the older teen turned to her sister and smiled.

By the time that Tim came to check on them, both girls had finished their Makeup and were working on hair. The makeup artist that Bruce had hired was packing up her stuff and the hair stylist was partway through Cass’s hair. Marinette turned towards her brother with a smile from where she was standing in front of the hidden dresses. “lend me a hand?” He smirked at the frustration on her face.

“Gladly, Little Bit. Which one is yours?” when the girl nodded to the larger of the two bags, Tim frowned. “how big exactly is your dress?”

“Big enough for me to need help getting it on. Its not that it’s exactly heavy either! Its just…poofy?” he laughed at Marinette’s rush to explain and helped her pull the bag off of the dress. When the dress was no longer hidden, his breath caught. The black dress was stunning. He could see where it moved from black to grey to blue at the bottom, and the long full sleeves followed the same style. Hanging on the hanger behind the dress was a black hoop, and a pair of low heels (as tall as Bruce would allow, actually. He had to remind her ten times that although this was a high society event, she was still 14, and didn’t need to be dressing like she was 20.) sat under the layers of the dress. Where he had been expecting glitter and sparkles, Tim was surprised to find that the satin was free of almost anything that glittered.

“wow” Marinette laughed at his reaction and reached for the hoop.

“I know, right? It took forever, but its totally worth it! And, it’s the designers first attempt at this kind of formal. I think she did a great job.” Tim paused at that.

“LB, hey,” his sister tensed at the abbreviation for her nickname before she turned to him. “who exactly designed your dress?”

“Oh, just a small up and coming designer. You wouldn’t have heard of her.” Cass sniggered from her spot by the vanity and Marinette shot their sister a smile. “ok! Let me get the slip on, and then after the hoop is on top, ill need your help with making sure the skirt fits right.”

Marinette would not be over exaggerating if she said that the red carpet was incredibly chaotic. The only thing she could think of that was more chaotic was perhaps the last time Jagged had held a concert in Paris. After she had made it through the gaggle of reporters and the public (was that Mr. Kent, SUPERMAN, she saw standing in the crowd calling out questions? Dam that man was everywhere.) the teen dropped her purse, that held an extra set of shoes, in her seat. The rest of the family wouldn’t be in for a bit. Her father, Dick, and Damien would all be in the receiving line Alfred would be behind the scenes all night, and Tim was already striking up discussions with business partners. Cass was on the other side of the room, looking stunning in her deep blue dress. When her sister had approached her, through her website, about the dress the teen had squealed at the idea of designing the close-fitting dress for her only sister. A Blonde caught her eye and pulled the noirette out of her thoughts. The familiar girl who was making her way over had abandoned her trademarked blues and yellows in favor of a deep red that matched the garnets littering her jewelry. A few steps behind her was another teen close to Marinette’s age with a pink pixie cut slicked down. The other teen was wearing a suit that had perfect tailoring…actually, that was Marinette’s suit. The girl laughed as Chloe and Alix joined her, the shortest of the three standing in the middle to draw attention to her suit.

As the girls caught up, they scanned the ballroom. On the other side, Tim was starting to look frazzled, while Marinette thought she saw Jason slip in past one of the servers. opposite them, Damien and Dick were starting to mingle while Bruce moved to greet the Kents. As she swept her gaze over the room, Marinette blinked. There, looking straight at her was-

“oh no, its Adrien. Chloe I love you and all, but if that boy causes a scene tonight…” Chloe waved away Alix’s worries.

“I already told him to be on his best behavior. I am personally more interested in when Felix will get here. For all his big talk about transferring to a private school in Paris, I won’t believe it until the brat comes to see me.” The group stifled their laughter at Chloe’s put out response.

“as long as he doesn’t come over asking about everything going on, we should be good.” Marinette nodded at Alix’s statement on Adrien. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look for Part 2 soon! if yall have any thoughts, i’d LOVE to hear them, since i have the basic plot down and im fleshing it out now...  
> also as a side note, keep an eye on Hurricane Sally? (ik I'm probably overreacting, but my dad is freaking out and its affecting the rest of us.(he hasn't slept since the storm changed direction, and he's been trying to tripel check everything. its been a little worrying. we had a tornado warning recently too, and he HATES those. when we lived in the midwest he would freak but it was only for a few hours at most not...this))


	14. Day 16: Father-Daughter Dance

As Marinette smiled at her friend’s antics, the girls had been standing on the edge of what would eventually become a dance floor. On the other side of the crowd, her father was mingling with Business partners that Tim hadn’t made it to. Dick had started to mingle with the socialites and Damien was scowling and standing close to the eldest. Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette could see Jason standing in a corner watching the room for trouble. Nearby, Cass was smiling and watching the crowds while Steph chatted with her. When Bruce moved. Marinette’s eyes tracked where he was going, until she realized that her father was going to greet the Agrestes. She knew that as soon as the duo had been greeted, they would separate and start to mingle. While almost at ease with any other guest at her father’s gala, Marinette was cautious about Adrien. He would react, she knew, but she wasn’t sure if it would be positive or negative. With the blond, it could go either way. As the girls watched the exchange apprehensively, a family came into view. The trio were dressed in matching greys and seemed to draw attention away from themselves. When the boy scanned the room, he locked eyes with Chloe and the heiress’ eyes widened before she moved to march over to him. As she made her way over, she pulled her two friends behind her, insisting that they keep pace. The blonde’s red gown swayed as she moved. Her eyes lasered onto the teen’s figure. “Felix! I was wondering when I would see you. Why haven’t you come to see me at the hotel?” the taller teen turned towards the trio with wide grey eyes.

“Chloe?” his parents turned to him, drawn to the conversation.

“Marinette, Alix, meet Felix Cupla. His family is close with my dad, and he is attending a private school in Paris.” Felix nodded to both of them and held out his hand to shake. As the four started to relax into conversation, Marinette scanned the older teen. He wore a well fitted suit, dress shoes, and shining silver cufflinks. His pale blue tie played with his ash blond hair. As he spoke, she could tell that he was observing her as well. When she went to focus back in on the conversation, the sound of a microphone coming to life caught the attention of the guests at the gala. Marinette turned to see her father standing on the raised platform that the musicians had been stationed on. Once he had everyone’s attention, Bruce Wayne started in on his welcome and thank you speech. As he spoke, Marinette noticed her brothers congregating together off to the side with Steph. The girl jumped slightly as her sister placed a hand on her shoulder and gestured for her to join the others. While the slipped off, Marinette sent her friends a small wave.

When her father came to join the quickly growing group off in the corner, the others quickly started talking all at once. Bruce held up his hand for silence. Once they had tapered off, he spoke to his children. “you know the drill. Pick someone to dance with without causing too much trouble. We want this to go smoothly. “while to others all nodded and started to disperse, Bruce held both Marinette and Damien back. “Marinette will dance with me, and Damien?” the boy turned towards their father, “please be nice to Miss Kyle. She has graciously agreed to dance with you for the family dance, but you have to treat her with at least a modicum of respect.” The boy scowled but nodded and stormed off to find his father’s girlfriend who he had taken to insulting. After watching Damien storm off, Bruce turned to Marinette. “Shall we?”

their own partners out. On the other side of the space, Marinette saw one of Tim’s friends walk Cass onto the floor. Even Steph had managed to snag one of her friends and guide them onto the floor. (Marinette would be willing to bet almost anything that there was a dare involved. If she had voiced her opinion, she would have been met with laughter and guilty glances. The only way Roy Harper would ever make it onto the dance floor was by dare.) When the conductor gave Bruce a small nod, he turned to Marinette and quirked an eyebrow at her. After the teen had nodded in agreement that she was ready, he sent a nod to the conductor and the father-daughter pair started to move. Bruce easily moved her though the easy steps of the dance. When they got closer to people, they could hear the whispers. Bruce Wayne had introduce Cass the same way, so it wasn’t a surprise, but the guests had thought the teen was too comfortable at the Gala to be new to the whole scene.

**_In the Crewe Group Chat_ ** _(that night)_

_Chlo has added Felix C._

_Felix C. has changed his name to Felix_

Chlo: omg

Chlo: MARINETTE

Alix: Mari, you killed it!

Cho: Mari, you are duty bound to go to galas in Paris now.

Alix: MARI YOUR DANCING????

Adrien: I feel like a fool? WHY DIDN’T I PUT IT TOGETHER THAT YOU WERE BASICIALLY SAYING!

Nino: dude, we legit told you. You just continue to be denser than a brick.

Mari: lolololololololol

Mari: also, welcome Felix!

Adrien: oh yeah, Chloe, DID YOU HAVER TO ADD MY COUSIN?

Mari: wait…you two are cousins?

Chlo: see, you would know this, if you would have gone to a gala in Paris with me, M.

Kim: how did it go?

Nino: yeah M, did everything go well?

Alix: I know you were worried about dancing with your dad, but you looked fantastic. Did you enjoy it?

Mari: I did! It wasn’t nearly as stuffy as Jason made it out to be either…

Chlo: Marinette! I’ve told you! Your brother just doesn’t like cleaning up. Everyone knows that.

Mari: I mean… your right?

Mari: Oh! You should have seen Tim’s face when he saw the texts that Lila sent to the class GC

Nino: what did he say?

Mari: if this keeps up, she can expect a lawsuit.

Chlo: HA!

**_Class Group Chat_ **

Alya: Um

Alya: guys? Did any of you watch the red carpet?

Alya: or see the dancing?

Lila: what happened?

Alya: I’m not talking about you, Lila. I mean literally everyone but Chloe, Adrien, Alix, and Mari

Marinette: *Marinette

Alya: um, did I lose nickname privileges?

Chlo: bitch. You never had them?

Nino: I didn’t really pay much attention outside of Mari’s and Alix’s stories. Everyone knows that they have the best content.

Chlo: I still think that the dance that Tim and Mari had was the best!

Marinette: let’s just be happy my brother thought ahead and taught me to dance. Otherwise, he would have ended up making me look ridiculous.

Adrien: I’m still shocked Felix actually danced with you.

Chlo: true. He is a bit of a grumpy cat…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so late! if you follow my Tumblr, then you know that my family was affected by the latest Hurricane (Sally) and I've been doing a lot of clean up and handling the repercussions at work...I'm planning gon double (or triple posting once I have the ability to write again to finish of time...)


	15. Day 18: Fight (its a substitute)

Marinette didn’t mean for it to happen. She had slipped back into her room form the bathroom. She had locked the door as a preventative measure. When she had gotten the Akuma alert, she had exchanged looks with Tikki and Kaalki and the three had rushed into the small room. She hadn’t thought that anyone was going to be home that evening. Dick was out of town, Jason was traveling the world, and Tim was Bruce and Damien on patrol. When she had stepped out three hours later, the fifteen-year-old was surprised to see an irate Tim sitting on her bed. “where the fuck were you?” she took a step back, nervous. He stood and Marinette took in her brother. He had a bandage wrapped around his bicep, and his face was bruised.

“why are you hurt?”

“Marinette, that’s not important. I came in an hour and a half ago. You weren’t here. I knocked, and when I didn’t hear anything in there I thought you might have been hurt, but the room was empty! I asked Alfred, but he said that you were in here!” Marinette’s eyes widened as her brother continued. She knew that if she didn’t play this off right, he would only become more suspicious.

For the past two years, the girl had worked with her father through…alternate channels…to set up a system on surveillance. When Chat had asked if there was anything he could do to help, she had roped him in. since then, the three had been working together to track down Hawkmoth. Though the process, Marinette had found herself down in the Batcave a handful of times. All of those time, she had worn a mask. The one time her brother has come back before they had finished, both she and her father had hopped that none of them had noticed how similar she was to their sister. When she had been digging through the Bat Computer to see if there was anything there that could help with what they had started to term _The Paris Problem_ , Marinette had come across multiple files that Tim had constructed. She had seen the way his brain worked, and any little bit of suspicion would send him off the deep end of research.

“I…I had to get out.” Tim sent her an unimpressed look. He knew she was more than happy to stay on the manor grounds for days at a time. Time to pull out the big guns. Before she could say anything else, Tim shook his head.

“I’m not sure what bullshit you’re trying to hide but know that I know you are lying.” Marinette rolled her eyes at her brother.

“Pot? Meet Kettle. Want to tell me why you look you were slammed into a wall, repeatedly?” her brother flushed, obviously trying to come up with a plausible excuse that Marinette wouldn’t see through.

“I…got mugged?”

“Tim, you haven’t left the manor all. Night. If I wanted to get out and enjoy the night air, I think my actions are a lot less suspicious than whatever you are doing. Especially since you obviously aren’t telling Dad.” Tim cringed at her last statement. “when I tell him, I hope he rains hell down on you.” He gapped at her, shocked. For the last few years, none of her siblings had ever made Mariette truly Angry. Of course, in the past she had been upset. There had been more than one petty argument in her time at the Manor, but Marinette never yelled. She was never vindictive, and her family thought she was the calmest and least dangerous. Now, as she stood there, her blue eyes glinting murderously, Tim was starting to re-evaluate the level of threat that his sister posed. He turned and stormed out.

The next morning, Marinette’s Birthday (honestly, did Tim have to do this now??), the two refused to look at each other. Damien took one look at the teens who were sitting as far from each other as possible at the table and moved his breakfast next to Marinette. Tim sneered at the two, before turning to his computer and ignoring them. When Dick arrived later that day, he took the duo into a smaller sitting room and tried to make them talk it out. When he came out three hours later, neither teen has talking to each other, and he felt like he had just walked through a war zone. The rest of the day was tense, with the rest of the family walking on tip toes around them. When Jason joined them after lunch, ready to start celebrating Marinette’s Birthday (it had promised to be a day long event) he was greeted with a fuming Tim and a tense Dick. When Jason went to track down Damien, he stepped into their gym only to find Marinette _Obliterating_ a punching bag. By the looks of it, she had been in there for a while, and the mostly empty water bottle off to the side only confirmed his suspicions. When Marinette paused, Jason caught her attention.

“what happened?”

“Jason! Hey! When did you get in?”

“less than an hour ago, and did you know, Little Bit,” she snarled at the nickname that Tim usually used, “I found the others in varying states of anger and fear. I was expecting the kid to be in here, not you.” She made a face and turned back to the bag. As she started a new set the teen let out a breath.

“Tim and I fought. Dad knows that I kinda set up a spot on the roof. Just so that I could get out, so that I could see the stars. I use it when I have nightmares. I haven’t really shown anyone else. I was up there last night for a few hours. When I came back into my room, Tim was there. He thinks I’m doing…something else? I’m not sure.” Jason cringed in sympathy. They all knew how stubborn their brother could be. “I asked him why he was hurt and we just…started yelling? I hate that he won’t believe me! If I wanted people to doubt my word, I could just go back to Paris!”

“what?”

“what what?”

“what do you mean people doubt you in Paris?”

“I…have a classmate who likes to lie. Because I don’t like to listen to her and the stories she tells, she’s started to deflect all her bad qualities onto me. Chloe and I…we know what she’s doing but there isn’t much we can do right now. Chloe thinks she might be meta but…I think there’s more going on. When I’m here, there’s no stress and its nice because I can be…me?” Jason nodded in understanding.

“this fight with Tim sent you over the edge, didn’t it?” his little sister nodded, unsure of where he was going with this. “do you know how to spar?” when Marinette’s eyes light up, Jason knew that he had made the right call. Right now, his goal was to make Marinette’s birthday a special one. Later, he would sit Tim down and knock some sense into him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> expect an outline dump tonight! I want to get caught up only fully written stuff, but I've set some of the prompts aside for outlines. they're a little more informal and written more in the style that I write notes and character concepts in. 
> 
> on a side note, I plan on linking my Tumblr later today, and(!) responding to all y'all's comments


	16. Day 19: Identities

It took three weeks for Tim to come apologize to Marinette. In the time, Jason had spent as much time with her as possible. He would spar with her and teach her new moves. Before she returned to Paris, Jason took her out shopping. (with Bruce’s money.) he would text her when she was in school and send her small anecdotes.

While Jason was distracting Marinette and helping her stay positive, Bruce took Tim aside and explained that there were some things that he didn’t know. When it came to Marinette, he had to respect her privacy.

While those conversations were happening, Marinette also stopped to talk to the Kwamii. At 15, she was the Guardian. As the Guardian, Marinette felt it was time to take care of a few things. The first? She and Chat Noir needed to talk.

One day, after another fight against Baby August (poor kid), Ladybug asked Chat to meet her after he had recharged. When they reconvened at the Tower, Ladybug was the first to arrive. When Chat joined her, he found her sitting on a beam looking out over their city. Her shoulders were slumped, and her fingers were playing with the loop on her yoyo absentmindedly. “Bug? What’s going on?” the girl startled and turned to where her partner was standing on the same beam.

“hey…Chat. The um.” She took a shuttering breath that worried her partner. He had only seen her this nervous when dealing with reporters years ago. “the Guardian died. He… he had been trying to tech me. I was learning the Grimoire and the potions. He…he passed while I was there and named me the next guardian?” as her voice grew higher at the end, Chat Noir focused in on his Partner.

“Ladybug, are you ok? Is there anything I can do to help?” the teen smiled at his concern, grateful for his support.

“well, I talked to the other Kwamii and it turns out the last Guardian…made up quite a few unnecessary rules.” Her blonde partner froze, before collapsing next to her.

“Is- is this going where I think it is?”

“I…”

“Bug?”

“do you want to know who I am? Under the mask? Without all…this?”

“what do you mean? I already know who you are.” Chat’s response made Ladybug shriek.

“WHAT! HOW! BUT!”

“Bug, hey. Hear me out.” When the girl nodded, terrified, he continued. “I know that you are brave. I know that you are brilliant. You have a heard of gold and are willing to always go the extra mile. And the mile after that. I know that you live almost exclusively on coffee. At three am, you have the worst crack head energy. I know that the Akumas make you cry because of their designs. You have no problems taking care of others even when it is at your own detriment. I’ve seen you limp home after an akuma that took a little too much from your cure. I know YOU. The face under the mask? That’s just the icing on the cake.” When he stopped, Ladybug stared at him, tears shining in her eyes.

“Thank you.” The way she breathed the response, Chat Noir knew that she hadn’t meant to say it. “you. This. Its. Thank you.” The next thing the cat new, he was bring wrapped in a hug by a crying vigilante. He pulled her close to him and let her cry. He let her relax as they sat there, watching their city.

“Bug?”

“Yeah?”

“I would love to know what your face looks like.” The smile that she sent him could have light up the sun.

When Tim called to apologize to Marinette, she, Felix, and her father had been on a call to go over leads and see if there was anything the Bat Crew could do without being on site. It had taken prodding from Felix to step away from her desk and answer the call.

“what.” Her flat answer would have tipped off anyone who knew her, but Marinette knew that Tim was well aware how angry she still was with him. Her tone was just the icing on the cake.

“Marinette? Hey. I… we need to talk. Can we video chat?” the teen narrowed her eyes but acquiesced. When her brother’s face came into frame, Marinette blinked in shock. Her brother was sporting a black eye and a split lip. Odd. Jason hadn’t mentioned him getting hurt any time recently. After grabbing her earbuds to afford her brother some privacy, Marinette raised a pointed eyebrow at her brother.

“talk.” Over her phone, she could see Felix blink in shock at her dead tone. oH, Mari was _pissed_.

“I was wrong Marinette. I invaded your personal space. I had just gotten hurt and was taking my anger out on you. I am so. So. Sorry.” Marinette nodded when he paused. “I-there was a situation. I was injured because of it and- “

“Tim!” her examination made him freeze. “its ok. Jason helped me work out my aggression. When I saw the footage of your fight with those goons, well…it made sense.” The sound of Tim choking made Marinette pause, blinking, before she realized that Tim hadn’t known that well…she _knew_.

“what makes you say that?” the strangled sounds of her brother panicking made Marinette snort. He forgot that she could see him turning the color of snow.

“Dad told me. No Big.” The sight of Tim’s mouth hanging open in shock made Marinette giggle. “He told me because I’m acting as an intermediary with the heroes here. I asked that Dad not rope me into anything. I have enough right now.” When Felix caught her eye, her mouthed ‘are you ok? Need me to create an emergency?’ she subtly shook her head no, before turning her attention back to her brother. “Tim? I’m sorry too. I lashed out. I got angry that you were angry at me.” He shook his head.

“already forgiven, Little Bit.” She shot him a gin.  
“well then! Do you want to meet one of my best friends? We were working on a project before you called.”

“sure! I thought you were only friends with those two crazies…Alix and Chloe?” Marinette blew a raspberry in response to her brothers teasing before disconnecting her earbuds and joining Felix at her desk.

“Tim? Felix. Felix? Tim. You may have met at the Christmas Gala.”

A week and a half later, Batman, Chat Noir, and Ladybug agreed that they needed someone from Gotham on the ground. After a debate over who could control their emotions the best that left them with a vary confused Chat, the trio settled on Red Robin. When the Vigilante arrived in the City, he was met by the other teens. When they had led him back to the small apartment that Felix had conned his parents into renting, the older vigilante had been shocked to see the two detransform. The action had left the two in all black with bat-issued domino masks that Marinette had picked up last time she had taken the horse miraculous over to Gotham. It was time to get to work.


	17. Day 12: Little Mari (outline)

  * Super sweet
  * Rly creative lol
  * Fidgeted a lot 
    * Mom is BAMF and Bruce is the fucking batman lol
  * Martial arts queen
  * Super committed to her fam 
    * Loves Gina and actually knows Jason (trope lolz)
    * Loyal af to the fam
  * She has a small group of friends 
    * Chloe
    * Nino
    * Kim
    * Max
    * Alix
  * Marinette is smart. Scary smart. 
    * She skipped at least two grades
    * She took shit from chole bc of it, but she put her foot down and then they were besties 😊
  * Marinette loves her parents, but they don’t have the abilities necessary to take care of her and run the bakery
  * She is very individual and likes to care for herself
  * She started sewing between 6 and 8 
    * She makes everything the fam owns later on
  * She slays all day and is introduced to jagged and other celebs through Chloe and so Bruce knew of her before he knew how involved in design she is. 
    * (trope) it isn’t until a gala that the fam even knows that she has her own line
  * M high key is not clumsy but plays it up so that when she’s a bamf ppl don’t think it’s her 
    * Mari totally did gymnastics as a kid
    * Combined with her martial arts stuff I mean… Is there any more needed to be said?
    * Mari totally would know how to handle weapons w/o any help from Bruce.
  * Am I saying that Jason stayed with T&S for a while after his time w/ Talia? Yes absolutely 
    * Gina found him and thought some physical labor and a steady schedule would be good for him
    * He meets Mari then and she’s still a kid? 
      * He starts to teach her things
      * Like how to use weapons.
      * He totally got escrima (Spell??) sticks like what Dick uses for Nightwing 
        * And she slays at them??
      * Before he leaves, he gives her a lot of knives and other things that her family DEFINATLY wouldn’t approve of
      * Its his fault that she knows sword play? When she and Kagami meet, she recognizes the fencer and they end of sparing? 
        * Ft a shooketh Chloe



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im doing that outline dump! (and going to bed, lol. my boss is out which means I'm going to have no free time for the next bit)


	18. Day 17-Pets (Outline)

  * It all started bc of Damien. 
    * He got a dog and the boys flipped. Suddenly, they were upset that they hadn’t been given pets
    * They all made a big stink. It was to make Damien feel special.
  * Mari meets Titus and Catfred (yes this is a direct reference to threee‘s fic Mismatch, which i spend wayyyyyy to much time re-reading... if you haven’t read it, you are missing out!) and suddenly she’s super quiet. 
    * She knows that her father was trying to bond w/ dami 
      * But that was the one thing she had been denied again and again.
      * All the kid wanted was a pet
    * She coddles them and loves on the doggo all. The. Time. 
      * Dick notices and realizes what’s going on before the rest. He tries to hint at it. B doesn’t notice
    * For her 15 birthday, Dick gets her a cat. A soft, sweet little blue eyed, white cat. 
      * This is right after this AU’s Chat Blanc-esq akuma.
      * Felix had gotten in a fight w/ his mom and his dad had gotten really sick. 
        * The kid was having a hard time suppressing emotion and he just…lost it?
        * Its reasonable. He can’t be superhuman no matter what Paris thinks
      * Mari cries and then clings to that cat and at the same time she’s almost afraid? To look at the kitten 
        * She names it snowflake. If she’s in Gotham, the cat is nearby, if she isn’t, the cat is almost always found with a complaining Tim 
          * He claims that he hates the thing but actually clings to it bc it reminds him of Mari
        * One day, B finds Mari drawing one of the scenes from CB (she’s processing, y’all) and he is horrified. This leads to her explaining Bunnix. He freaks and tries to get her to tell the others. 
          * She refuses (surprise) his attempts to help her, and she reminds him that _THE JL ISNT ALLOWED IN PARIS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!_
          * He huffs and puffs but assists from across the ocean 
            * They set up a survilence system and use it in conjunction with some reaserch to narrow down suspects for HM. Felix gets involved.
          * Turns out that Mari is great w/ animals. Bruce ends up getting her corgi over summer break. 
            * That was a mistake. Tim now has one more animal friend when Mari is gone.
            * When she brings Felix over, years later, both animals go and love on him. he is accepted no matter how much Tim tries to scare the teen 
              * Mari uses her pets as a friend vetting process from then on. Alya Gets Bitten. 
                * On the note? Lila is accepted. Everyone except Mari is confused…



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as mentioned, i did draw inspo from Threee for this one...I'll go back through and link them when I'm not half-asleep.


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